Still
by gue22
Summary: Gohan had always wanted to see inside Videl's clothing, but he had never wanted to see as far as the exposed organs lying beneath her rib-cage.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:**

Inspired by 'A night's consequences' - Kisakun

I cannot stop myself from reading that story

**Disclaimer:** I do not own db/dbz/dgt

**Chapter 1**

...

She didn't want to go in the lab and disturb him, but this request came from the world leader himself. She knew how irritated Dr Son would be, he hated these so called 'special cases'. He believed in the waiting list, he believed that everyone was equal, and no matter your perceived status, to him, you were just another patient. He never budged; he never bent the rules, and in the two years that he'd worked for him, he had never made an exception.

Sighing, she placed her thumb against the fingerprint-reader. The light sensors illuminated and captured all the little ridges of her finger and compared the inverted image to the one on file. Gaining a match, the light on the security door turned from red to green.

"Welcome Ms Sims" a computerized voice announced, just as the heavy door made a loud click, allowing her to enter the lab. She knew the routine like the back of her hand. She stepped on the red illuminated circle and closed her eyes as a white mist descended from the ceiling, spraying gently over her.

"Decontamination complete" the computer announced, the red circle beneath her feet disappearing.

"I'm at the back" the familiar voice of Dr Son called out to her. She sighed, knowing she had no choice. She didn't really like going back there, all those organs, it was enough to put her off her meals for days. She had worked her ass off to be in this position, working at the prestigious Son Regenerative Institute as Dr Son's personal assistant. She had truly believed that regenerative medicine was her calling, but now…

She tried to ignore all the human organs growing in the clear fluid, that seemed to be staring at her from their dishes. Hearts, lungs, kidneys, muscle tissue…you name it. Dr Son had succeeded where many regenerative medical researchers had been stumbling on for years. He was the youngest PHD in the world, and his accomplishments were…astounding.

He was bending over one of the skin dishes, skin re-growth in particular creeped her out more than the internal organs. The doctor had thick microscopic lenses attached to his glasses, his gloved hand caressing his chin contemplatively.

"I apologize in advance Dr Son" she began

Gohan sighed, how many times had he insisted that she call him by his first name, all these formalities, they really made him feel…old. He straightened up, and unclipped the scopic lenses from his frame.

"New patient?" he asked her, taking note of the print out she held in her palm.

"A special case sir, a direct request from the world leader" she told him.

Gohan sighed, pulling down his glasses and rubbing the ridges of his nose. In how many languages would it take, for all these so called important people to get it, he didn't make exceptions, everyone was equal, everyone had as much right to live as the next person. They were doing the best they could to expand their facilities but they could only accommodate so many organs, there was a waiting list, and his conscious would not allow him to skip a waiting patient in favour of one deemed to be more 'important', he simply wasn't raised that way.

He took the print out anyway, in these circumstances, the parties pushing for the exception would never accept an answer from his assistant. They always wanted to deal with him personally, imploring him by whatever means necessary. From threats to bribery, when it came to saving the lives of their loved ones, people would stoop to any level. He understood, and never took it personally, but over the years, against his nature, he had had to grow a thicker skin. Saying no, was not as hard as it had been that very first time.

Pushing his glasses back up, he glanced at the print out dispassionately. Even a teaser gun administered directly to his ass couldn't have shocked him as much as the name of this 'special' patient.

He felt it then, that old familiar jolt in his heart. His mouth went completely dry, his stomach muscles tightened in synch with his grip on the flimsy paper he was holding.

It was as if time itself had stopped.

The lab was always noisy; the heavy machinery that kept the organs alive had this particular humming sound that they emitted. Regardless of that, he was still able to hear the furious beating of his own heart at the sight of the name.

Videl Satan

The words were out of his mouth before his brain had even finished processing them.

"We need tissue samples from the patient NOW!" he practically barked, shocking Ms Sims, who had never heard him raise his voice.

"Y-you're…t-taking the case?" she stammered incredulously

"Talk to Gov, he needs to create room in the housing wing for the patient" he said urgently, completely disregarding her question

Ms Sims face contorted in shock. He couldn't possibly be serious!

"W-we're housing the patient? Here? B-but the wing is f-full!" she reminded him

"I said NOW Ms Sims!" he shouted impatiently, storming off to go 'clear' a dish.

Ms Sims had never been more shocked in her life. Dr Son had never, ever raised his voice in the two years that she'd been working for him. He never panicked, he never showed much emotion, with the exception of excitement at the successful completion of an organ, or embarrassment when some of the female staff tried to flirt with him.

She knew Videl Satan was famous, maybe as famous as her father, but fame or fortune had never moved him before. Why now? What had gotten into him?

Turning around, she fled out of the lab to her own office to go make the necessary calls.

**_Earlier that day…_**

Videl was pissed. She was more than pissed actually; she was furious! _She_ was the most capable agent they had, she knew that, they knew that, but oh no…her meddlesome father had made a call, and just like that! She had been pulled out of the mission.

Damn him!

With both arms she pushed hard at the twin doors and stormed into the Directors office.

"Let me call you later" he said calmly into the phone, at the sight of the pissed off Ms Satan.

"Videl, what can I…." he began

"Don't give me that bullshit, you know why I'm here!" she fumed

"I have no idea wh…" he began formulating a lie

Bam!

Videl slammed her fists on his large mahogany desk, making a few visible cracks in the finish.

"Don't even try to bullshit me okay, just…don't…" she said, reaching into her pocket.

The Director looked at the cracked desk and gulped, he was an old man now, he really didn't want Videl taking out her frustrations on him!

Videl slammed her badge on the table, sliding it with impressive force towards the Director

"You can kiss my ass, you spineless son of a bitch, I quit!" she said, storming out

"Videl wait!" he called after her, trying to rise from his desk, but his arthritis was just too damn painful.

"Ah fuck" he cursed, reaching for the telephone

Videl stormed out of the TB headquarters in a fit of rage. It was still early, the air outside slightly chilly. She pulled up her scarf to cover the base of her face as she hailed for a cab.

"Palak Hotel please" she instructed the driver, as she settled back on the not so comfortable seat.

It was pointless, pointless! Anytime there was an interesting mission, like this trip to Sage Island, to take down the forces of their corrupt dictator, her father always got wind of it. In a panic, not wanting his 'baby girl' to participate in something so dangerous, he would call in one of the million favours the Director of the Tactical Bureau seemed to owe him.

This was the fifth mission she was pulled out off in three months, and all because she had gotten shot in her last station in the Serame Mountains. TB had been sent there on a peace keeping mission, strickly no sides, but things had spiraled out of control when one of their own men had allegedly taken liberties with a civilian's wife. She had taken a bullet for an innocent bystander when the masses had turned on the peace keepers. It was just a flesh wound, thankfully, but her father had freaked completely, pulling this kind of shit all the time.

She was a grown woman for Kami's sake!

She didn't want a desk-job; she didn't want to be stuck in the office pushing paper. She was a fighter, a warrior, that's who she was, that's what she enjoyed, and if this job at the TB didn't take her out to where the action was; then shove it!

Maybe she'd go back to helping out the Satan police while she mulled over her next Agency, she wasn't exactly without offers.

"Palak Hotel" the cab driver announced, pulling up to the lavish entrance.

Videl pulled out a hundred zeni note and carelessly passed it on to the driver as her door was opened for her.

"Welcome Ms Satan" the door-man greeted politely

Videl grunted and pushed her way inside.

Once inside her penthouse suite, which took up the entirety of the top floor; Videl unwrapped and tossed her scarf to the nearest couch as she kicked off her boots. Her mood soured even more when she saw her light luggage.

'All packed and nowhere to go. I should be on that flight, half way to Sage Island by now' she thought bitterly, making her way to the cabinet to pour herself a drink.

Twirling her glass in her hand, she couldn't help but stare at the face of the man on the cover of the very old and worn edition of 'Medicine Today'. She knew it was unhealthy, but she couldn't help it, she couldn't stop herself from hanging on to any and every piece of literature she found on him. She could only be grateful that she was afforded the luxury of stalking him from afar, unlike in highschool.

'High school' she reflected, a bittersweet smile gracing her lips.

"_Do you…like short hair on girls Gohan?" she had dared to hope _

She should have known that her obsession with finding him out was more than a deep routed need to uncover the identity of Saiyaman. Or, for that matter, her desire to defy gravity and learn how to fly. How often did she practice that particular skill nowadays? Hardly ever, she regretted.

Sighing, she turned the magazine over, hiding his handsome face. Gohan, no Dr Son as he was known now, was just a distant memory, no matter how creative her fantasies had become.

Running her fingers through her hair, she sighed in frustration. She might as well put in a few hours of intensive exercise. She abandoned her drink and walked to her bedroom to change. She wiggled out of her corduroy pants and tossed her shirt carelessly on the bed.

Opening her cupboard, she didn't even get a chance to gasp out in shock. Her eyes were only starting to widen when the bullet hit her at point blank range in her chest. She dropped to the floor before her hand could reach the entry point.

"You weren't supposed to be here" the man hiding in the cupboard whispered regretfully.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **

I know that 'when a demon calls' seems to be a priority update from the feedback I got last time for this story. I am busy with that chapter, I have set Sunday as my deadline, so um…yeah. It somehow helps me to work on other ideas when I'm feeling a bit stuck.

**Mr Blue22:** Hi there, got your PM but you've disabled it so couldn't get back to you. I'm still writing, though in the middle of exams right now *ahem* but, let's not talk about that. Broken chain…yeah, there's a skeleton of a chapter, still kinda stuck though. Just wanted to say now worries, am still around.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own dragonballz

Chapter 2

Her boss had become a stranger, a stranger she didn't care to be around. Since the day they had wheeled in that Videl Satan, Dr Son had transformed from a respectable doctor to a disheveled mad scientist. She had wholehertedly believed in his unwavering intergrity, but...clearly everyone had a price. He had been immune to threats and bribes, but the pale face of the dark haired woman had clearly done him in.

"I"ll find him" she told the hysterical clerk from dispatch.

They had been paging, beeping, and calling him all morning, nothing. They had searched his lab, his office and the cafeteria, the three places he spent most of his life in, nothing there either.

Ms Sims was surprised they hadn't caught on yet, it was obvious were he was. He was in the housing wing, a place he never used to set foot in, let alone frequent before. A place he used to jokingly refer to as the butchers domain, a place where the institute surgeons preped and operated on patients awaiting new organs.

But ever since _her_, he had practically grown roots in that wing. He was always there, in her room, always hovering, always lurking like some dark shadow, scaring the shit out of the nurses and doctors that came in to administer routine care to the patient. She also knew for a fact that he hadn't left the institute since that day. It was a good thing the institute had a good supply of showers, change rooms and clean clothes.

As she made her way down the brightly lit corridors, she shook her head at the absurdity of the situation. She still couldn't believe that Dr Son had actually instructed Gov to kick out a patient, kick out a patient of all things, just to create room for _her_...not to mention the organs that had been 'cleared' to free up some of the growth serum to grow _hers_.

She tried to brush her disappintment aside as she came before her door. Turning the knob deliberately slowly, she exhaled in preparation of the not so curtious treatment she was expecting to receive from him.

Bracing herself, she poked her head through the small crack.

"Dr Son" she called out

She didn't enter, she didn't want to get too close, lest he do that gruff growling thing he had taken to doing whenever anyone got too close to the patient.

'Honestly, look at him!' she thought. He hadn't shaved in eons, his hair was already looking thicker, longer, completely unruly. It was unbecoming.

"Yes?" He responded gruffly, without taking his eyes from her pale, still face.

"I have some release papers for you to sign sir" she told him

"Leave them on my desk" he said, his voice low and throaty.

"They've been on your desk for three days sir, the team from West-South Hospital is waiting on your signature" she insisted

And there it was…

That low animalistic growl that she had come to fear so much since her admittance. Not to mention that freaky breeze and the sudden tremors of the floor that made the hospital equipment shake.

She gulped, supporting herself by placing a steadying palm against the door frame. She didn't know how Dr Son made those freaky wind and quaking effects, but she wasn't about to run off. She stood her ground, there was a patient waiting on that heart, his animalistic tendencies be damned!

"Sir…I really have to insist that…" she didn't get to voice out her carefully prepared speech fully

She didn't even see him move. She just felt a light wind, a brief loom of a shadow, and in a fraction of a second, the papers she had been holding disappeared from her clasp. She blinked, barely even, and the papers were already placed back between her finger-tips.

She held back her chest in slight fright.

How the hell did he do that?

She didn't get a chance to ponder much further though, because just as suddenly as her fingers had touched the papers, she had been shoved from the threshold, onto the corridor, the door shutting firmly behind her.

'How rude!' She fumed, staggering slightly to regain her balance. That Dr Son had become nothing but a rude, boarish, animalistic brute! She fumed indignantly, straightening her blouse.

A quick glance at the papers confirmed that yes, indeed, he had signed them. She could only be grateful for small mercies she supposed.

Hurriedly she made her way to dispatch. She couldn't wait until the end of her contract, she was so outta this place!

Gohan made a sweep at the monitors again, no change, it had only been a minute since his last one. She was as pale as milk, as still as a statue, and she looked frightengly weak and fragile. That knowledge burned through his heart like acid, those were two adjectives that should never have to describe her. 'Oh Videl' he thought, watching the artificial rise and fall of her chest.

It had been weeks since that day, since they'd wheeled her in, since he'd put her on life support, since his carefully cultivated life was turned upside down. Since his insides were yanked out, turned inside out and shoved violently back into him.

When he had first read her name on that 'special request' form, his intention had been to only stabilize her, until he could get her a sensu or Dende or Buu. But Videl had picked the worst possible time to get shot. Buu had been galavanting off planet, visiting Babidi's home world of all perculiar things, and Dende, there really was never a god when you needed one, he had been off planet as well, on some lame trip to otherworld, meeting with other planetary guardians and Kais and other beings of such stature. And Korin, that useless bum of a cat, had been giving away beans to Goku and Vegeta like they were bandaids for their numerous childish altracations.

So...yeah...he had only meant to stabilize her, until he could get sort her out with the not so conventional methods, but in the end...she had ended up as a patient. One of the stills, as they were often called, by the butchers, the award winning surgeons of the Son Regenerative Institute.

All these years, and still...just the mention of her name, it still made his heart quiver with an emotion he should have recognised years ago. He had been so naïve and clueless, he hadn't even recognised his own feelings until it was too late.

Watching her now, her petite form so lifeless and still, he remembered with painstaking clarity that very last conversation they'd shared as a team.

The conversation that had unwittingly sealed the end of their unexplored relationship.

"The Saiyaman 2 costume does not make you bullet proof Videl, what were you thinking?" he had shouted under his helmet

"Well _excuse_ me for not having bullet deflecting alien-genes, I was trying to save a life!" She had retorted angrily

"I appreciate that Videl, but you know how important that presentation was for me, storming out after sensing your distressed ki, is definately not going to paint me in the best light!" He had yelled, only because he had been frustrated by how willing she always was to put herself in danger

"As if they would refuse the student with the top grades in the world" she muttered sarcastically

"... I raised my ki just like you taught me, didn't I? You came in time to save the day, didn't you? Besides, I'm not just gonna quit my job just because you're shipping off to that nuthouse, and can no longer act as my self-appointed bodyguard!" she had yelled back

"Would it kill you to be happy for me? It's the top univeristy in the world, this is a big deal for me" he remembered how he had tried to calm things down by diverting the conversation

"Would it kill _you_, to be happy for _me_? I get to train under the most sought after tactical instructors of our time. Crime-fighting is my passion Gohan, I was always going to persue a career involving some element of it, and Terrain Storm is the best of the best, if you don't get that about me after all this time then..."

"I get it Videl, I get it, but Terraine Storm is in the middle of nowhere, in a god forsaken desert, their methods, highly controversial, it's too dangerous! They teach weapons training, they groom spies and assassins and… mercenaries and...how am I suppose to do ground breaking research when I'm worrying about the kind of trouble you'll be getting into all the time?" he had yelled, once again reminded of how dangerous this training was. He had known that she could handle herself, but…he had been worried!

"Gohan, when you met me, I was doing this job, I was a fighter, that's just who I am, and years from now, long after you've left this city, long after you've forgotten about me, I'll still be in the thick of things" she had tried to explain, of course, he had not fully taken her words at face value then

"What do you mean forget about you?" he had asked her, as if such a thing was impossible

"Look, I know how you see me okay, I'm just some pestering female who got the drop on you and managed to squeeze some blackmail into the equation" she had said in a way that made him take pause

"What? Videl, how can you say that?" he remembered how shocked he had been that she might even think that he thought that of her

"I don't fault you for it, I just...it was disappointing to hear" she had said, if only he had noticed then how pained she had been whilst saying those words

"Videl, those are Vegeta's words, not mine" he had tried to defend himself

"Funny how you didn't correct him" even now, while watching her still face, he still remembered how deeply that sentence had cut him

"Just because I didn't bother to dignify them with a response, does not mean I agreed with him" he had said, more than just hurt, that after everything they had been through, she still doubted the depth of his feelings

"Then tell me, in your own words, not your mothers, not Krilin's and not Vegeta's. Tell me Gohan, what am I to you?" she had asked him, but of course, he hadn't said the right thing

"I...Videl, you're my friend, I mean we're partners but we're friends too right right?" was all he could offer at the time, what a fool he had been, confusing those intense feelings he'd had for friendship, but damn it, he had been young and naive!

"Friends" she had repeated, her tone leaving a lot to be desired

"Aren't we?" Oh, what a clueless fool he'd been

"I guess...after all this time, I thought, I thought there might have been something...urgh, just forget it okay, just forget it" she had said, had he known back then what he knew now about the female species, he might have handled things differently

"Videl..." was all he had managed to get out before...

"Look, I gotta go, I gotta break the news to my dad, he didn't know about my application to Terraine Storm. It's not gonna be pretty" she had sighed, the other matter closed

"He just worries about you" he had defended the champ, sympathising with the man, _he_ worried about her

"Yes well...I may not be able to fight super powerful monsters, but...the world is filled with other kinds of scum, corrupt politicians, dictators, slave traders, terrorists, human rights abusers...and I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I didn't at least try to take them out...so...I wish you luck though, at the university, they won't know what hit them" she had offered a small smile, how he had failed to notice how lacking in anything genuine it had been, he would never know

"Videl...why are you talking like this is goodbye?" he had only responded to the finality in her words

"Highschool is over, the summer is about to end, I'm going off for training in one corner of the world, and you're going off to another...the Saiyaman days are truly over" she had shrugged, as if it was obvious that their journey had come to an end

"Still..."

"I'll always be glad that I met you Gohan, it's not everyday that you meet someone that changes your life" at least that had sounded sincere

"We'll still see each other all the time won't we? I'll fly over to that deserted desert as much as I can..."

Of course, he hadn't

"Yeah sure, that'd be great, I guess I'll come and visit that grand campus of yours whenever I have a break from training..."

Of course she hadnt

He had meant to visit, he really had. There was just so much going on, moving to a new city, far, very far from home. Attending lectures, tutoring, and then there was his research...the endless societies and other activities... The social networking, the socializing...there was always something. And when he did have time to spare, there was family to see, his brother missed him terribly, and he just couldn't resist him, or his father...his mother, not that she ever gave him much choice.

There was always something, but still...he should have made the time. He should have ripped out the throat of that very first guy she had been rumoured to be seeing in the media.

It was funny how it had taken seeing her walking hand in hand in a newspaper article with some other guy, for him to finally realize the truth about his feelings. It hadn't been deep rooted friendship and loyalty that had kept him up at night, unable to think of anything but her, it hadn't been friendship at all.

The quickening of his heart whenever her face broke into a radiant smile, the tension in his stomach whenever she playfully jabbed at him, or for that matter, any other physical contact with him. That breathlessness whenever he watched her in action and that unexplained euphoria at the break of a new day, knowing they were due to see each other.

No, it hadn't been friendship he'd been feeling, long before his brain had possessed the ability to process what his heart already knew.

And by the time he came to terms with it, she was already taken. It had been over a year since they'd seen each other, over a year since that conversation...and it would be _another_ year still, before they would see each other again. Well...discounting all the times that he would seek out her ki and secrectly hover in the shadows stalking her, but he wasn't counting those times.

"Gohan you made it!" Erasa had exclaimed excitedly

"I wouldn't miss it for the world Erasa, it's good to see you" he had told her, and it had really been good to see her. Erasa had always made it a point to stay in touch, her emails were always long...and more often than not, filled with pictures of the who's and where's she would have written about.

"I swear to god Gohan, you just get more and more handsome every time I see you...but...oops...don't tell my fiancé that, he might feel inclined to come after you and subsequently get his ass kicked" she had said, laughing, clamming her mouth shut with her hand as she broke into a fit of giggles.

He remembered how he could only scratch at the back of his neck in embarrassement at her complimnent

"Gee...thanks Erasa, congratulations on the engagement by the way, by the looks of it, it's one hell of a turnout" he had said, glancing at the huge crowd that had gathered to celebrate.

"Come, the gang from high-school is over there, I happen to know a certain young lady whose's just DYING to see you!" She had said, dragging him across the room

"Well, well, well...if it isin't brains" Sharpener had greeted, extending his hand curtuosly

Gohan hadn't really noticed it

His eyes had landed on and subsequently grew rooots on the beauty that had been standing next to him

"Videl..." He had said breathlessly, his heart skipping a few beats

"Gohan" she had said, equally as breathless, but immediately her eyes had darted, settling on the waiter passing by. Quickly she had snatched a glass of wine

"Ouch!" Sharpener said, retracting back his ignored hand

"And here she is..." Erasa sang more than said, shoving a girl with short blue hair foward.

"Izzy?" He had exclaimed, recognising her immidiately. She had been in the majority of his advanced classes, he remembered her for her quick mind and her inability to stop talking

"It really IS you!" she had squealed, giving him a hug

"When Erasa told me you were coming, I just HAD to come, your paper on the potential side-effects of Dr Nrems proposed excellerated growth on genetically engineered corn was like...oh my god, so brilliant, I just HAD to come and pick your brain about this idea..." She rambled on

"Urgh...Lizzy, you promised! No nerdy stuff!." Erasa had berated her, but he hadn't been paying attention to the two of them, he had been simply too busy watching Videl, who was already downing her second glass of wine.

"Thirsty, I see" Sharpener had comentted dryly

Videl had just scowled in his direction. Not much had changed between those two, he had observed.

And just then, a tall brunette had appeared out of nowhere to link her arm with Sharpeners.

"Sharpy pooh, won't you be a dear and get me a real drink from the bar, this lame wine is getting me nowhere" she had cooed

If he had taken the time to stop staring at Videl, he might have noticed Sharpeners blush at the endearment but...

"Come guys, let's hit the bar" Erasa had beamed, ushering Sharpner, his brunette girlfriend, and Lizzy away

And then there had been just the two of them

"It's good to see you" He had said, unable to take his eyes from her. It's not as if he had never seen her in a dress before, she had worn one at Bulma's barbecue, six months after the defeat of Kid Buu, but...that had been the first and last time he had seen her in one.

The times he had gawked at her pictures in his secret stash of newspapers, internet and magazines didn't count.

"You too" she had said, flashing him a smile

Even now as he continued to watch her still features, illuminated by the artificial institute light, he could still remember with clarity how red her cheeks had been. He had been flattered to think that she was blushing, but...as it turned out, his nose had been able to disprove that theory rather quickly...she wasn't blushing, not at all. She was just...well, nicely put...drunk.

"How's Terrain Storm?" he had found himself asking nervously, wondering where that guy she was always photographed with was.

"It's been…interesting. Just one more year and I'll be taking a job with Potlaki Intellegence" she had said as she reached for yet _another_ glass.

"Congratulations" he had said, wondering if a job like that would hold her for long. That agency didn't really do much 'combat'

"It's nothing…Mr youngest graduate, only in your third year and you're almost done with your masters…told you they wouldn't know what had hit them" she took another swig of her drink

"Yeah, it's been hectic, but…it's going really well so far" was all he could say

"Yeah, hectic, I can believe that…in over two years, you've never come up to visit…like you said" she downed the last bit in the current glass, her eyes already on the lookout for a waiter

"I meant to…but…you never came to visit either, like _you_ said" he had been unable to resist throwing that in there. He hadn't wanted to shoulder all the blame

"Yep! Guess that makes us both liars, just like the good ol'days huh Saiyaman?" she had said, almost laughing

"Should you be saying that so loudly?" he had said, glancing around nervously

"Still the same'ol Gohan huh? Lighten up, it's a party!" she had declared, surprising him by doing an impromptu spin on her heels, which ended with her practically snatching yet another drink from the tray that was irritatingly always within reaching distance.

He had frowned, never having seen her quiet like this before

"You're drunk Videl, maybe I should take you home" he had offered, concerned

She had burst out laughing then.

Yet, she had still surprised him by stepping up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, whispering

"Then what…planning on taking advantage of me Gohan?" the pungent smell of alcohol on her breath had really been unpleasant, but still…he hadn't been able to stop his heart from skipping a few beats

"Videl…I…I would never do such a thing…" he had croaked, his throat and lips thoroughly dry

"Like I said…same'ol Gohan" she had said, disentangling her arms from his neck

The rest of the party had been uneventful, unfortunately her 'boyfriend' had shown up, and without so much as a farewell, they had left together.

Staring at her now, he could almost feel the rage that had been swelling beneath his carefully cultivated persona throughout the rest of the party. It would have been so easy to pulverize that guy, but…it wouldn't have been the right thing to do. So instead, he had done…nothing.

This time round though, he had rudely denied anyone visitation with her since she was admitted into the institute. And that included her current boyfriend, her numerous colleagues, her boss, Mr all important director of her agency, Erasa, and even Hercule Satan himself. He had made up some nonsense about contamination and such crap, but really, he just couldn't take having anyone else around her when she was so fragile.

He should have done so many things differently in the past, but…the reality was…years later, worlds apart, Videl had been in trouble, and this time, he hadn't been there, acting as her 'self-appointed' bodyguard.

Beep, beep, beep his hand monitor interrupted his thoughts.

"Organs for patient one, two, seven, now complete" announced a computerized voice.

"This is it" he said, feeling a bit of relief for the first time in weeks as he brushed back her long hair with his fingers.

_**That's chapter 2 guys. Make my night and say…something. I'm trying to stay faithful to Gohan's character, just a bit older, more mature, more 'aware' and stuff. Yeah, okay… **_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: don't own db/z/gt

Exams are over, yay, and Barcelona just won the UEFA champions league, life is perfect!

Chapter 3

_**Five years earlier…**_

What she hated the most about Terrain Storm was the sleeveless vests they made them wear on these 'food gathering' exercises, as part of BS (Basic Survival). Well, under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have a problem with the black combat vests, but at forty eight degrees celcius, out here, in the middle of the desert, when the rays of the sun touched your bare skin, it wasn't just a question of being burned, it was a matter of being roasted alive.

Sleeves would have been a small reprieve from the relentless sun.

_Who am I kidding, what I hate the most is not the unbearable sun, it's this damned sand! Yuck, its everywhere, it gets in everywhere, I'm so sick of BS _

Videl kept walking though, every step was as excruciating as the last one. Her entire foot would sink into the hot blistering sand, and she would have to pull really hard to yank it out, only to take another step, her other foot sinking in as well, it was like wandering through a vast expanse of mini quick-sand. _I hate this fucking place, I hate this fucking place._

She ran her tongue over her dry and cracked lips, they tasted like sand and salt, as usual. It hadn't really been that long since her last drink of water, but already she lusted for it. She longed to feel even the tiniest of cool droplets tingling on her lips.

When she reached her destination, she wiped the sweat off her brow and glanced around to make sure that none of the other recruits were nearby. Satisfied, she levitated into the air. The palm date tree was long, stretching all the way to the heavens. She was thankful that she didn't have to undergo the arduous task of climbing it manually, like so many of her fellow recruits.

_Oh Gohan_

Narrowing her eyes to protect them from the sun that was shining directly in her direction, she began to pick at the ripe desert fruit. Satisfied that she had enough supplies for her and her partner, she lowered herself back to the ground.

It was time to make the great track back to base.

_**Level-Three Base, Terrain Storm…**_

"I hate that program, I nearly burned my fingers off with that device" Videl complained

"You'll get there, don't worry" Tuku chuckled, she was so cute when she was scowling

Tuku was the best recruit when it came to weapons technology. The program included marksmanship, exposure to 'smart-weapons', and Videl's least favourite module – Bomb construction and handling. Videl was lucky to be partnered with Tuku, he had been tinkering with thoat staff long before joining Terrain Storm. The duo completed each other well, Videl was the very best in hand to hand combat, and Tuku had benefited greatly from her expertise

"Easy for you to say Brainiac, I'm never gonna pass this program" she whined, throwing herself on the bed. "Crap" she winced, forgetting that her intercostal muscles were still sore from the beating she had taken earlier in the week while she was 'captured and tortured' during one of their simulation classes.

"Don't be such a baby, babe, we'll go over the schematics this weekend, over and over until you can make those bombs in your sleep" he said, placing himself on the bed, turning her over on her stomach to give her a back-rub

"Tuku, have you forgotten, we're going to Satan City today, my friend's engagement party?" she reminded him, men could be so ridiculous, the shit they had had to go through to get those permission slips, and he had forgotten?

"Oh yeah!" he laughed "...almost forgot about that..." he continued to rub out the tight knots between her shoulder blades

"You're such a freak, you know that? Our one chance to escape this god forsaken desert, and you forgot?" she shook her head in disbelief

"Yeah well, this dry 'ol place has kinda grown on me" he shrugged

"I'll never get used to this place, the vast nothingness, the sand storms, the oppressive heat, do you realize that it hasn't dropped below forty five degrees since our fisrt year?" she complained

"Look at it this way, we've arguably survived the toughest training conditions on the face of the planet for over two years, with nothing but a few basic supplies. When we graduate from this place next year, we'll be bad-ass agents, no mission will be too tough for us" he said excitedly

Videl couldn't help but smile into the mattress at that. She couldn't wait to graduate and become an agent; she had worked her butt off for the last two years, just to barely survive the inhuman conditions they trained in. She had known when she had submitted her application that Terrain Storm would be tough, but damn, even with her advantage as the number one in hand to hand combat, she had still struggled to survive, just like the rest of the recruits.

"So...this Erasa, don't you think she's moving a bit too fast, I mean, getting engaged, at our age?" Tuku shook his head, as he continued to knead through her back

"She said in her letter that he's the one, so I don't want to judge" she said, not wanting to admit that she had also been caught off guard by the news. It felt wrong somehow, that her best friend was getting married to a guy she had never even met. But it was difficult to stay in touch; Terrain Storm did not allow the recruits any communication with the outside world. On Sunday nights, hand-written letters from loved ones were distributed. Without fail, Erasa had written every single week.

"I guess when you know, you know" he said, making light taps from the base of her spine all the way up to her shoulders and back again

"Yeah" Videl said, wistfully, her mind suddenly filling with thoughts of a certain spiky haired boy.

_Oh Gohan_

"Done!" Tuku announced triumphantly, plopping himself down on the bed next to her. Videl shifted from her position, turning over to face him. She was still sore, but...the massage had done wonders. The last thing she needed were thoughts of Gohan swimming in her head. It was still difficult to swallow, the fact that he had let her down, that he had never come to see her like he had promised. He had cut her out of his life like a cancerous growth, and years later, she was still not over it.

"Babe?" Tuku nudged her

"Huh?" She asked

"You okay? You spaced out there" he commented

"Sorry, just thinking about this party tonight, I can't exactly show up in my training gear" she lied

"Not to worry, my sister's flying in with our clothes, she has excellent taste" he assured her

"She doesn't even know my size, let alone my taste" Videl said stubbornly, she shuddered at the thought of a complete stranger picking out girly clothes for her

"She's seen us plenty of times in the tabloids, trust me, she knows your size" he assured her. Videl sighed, but conceded.

Tuku draped his arm over her, Videl scooted to rest her head on his broad chest.

_Oh Gohan, when am I gonna stop thinking about you?_

The breaking of glass was too late of a sign to have enabled them to react. His lips had just pressed themselves gently against hers and she had been about to close her eyes, the way she had seen it done in but...the shatter of glass as the window broke, the eruption of white smoke as the gas hit, had caught them completely unprepared.

"Is this a simulation?" Videl asked her training partner, coughing and covering her eyes from the smothering and burning effect of the gas

"NO!" Kutu shouted in alarm, shoving Videl to the side just in time to avoid the dart that was hurtling towards her shoulder

"STAY DOWN, VIDEL" he shouted, diving down behind the bed, the gas was wreaking havoc with his senses. His lungs were burning, his eyes, his nose...it was terrible. He slithered on his stomach, using his elbows to push himself forward, until he reached his supply cabinet. The handle was all the way up there, and he couldn't afford to stand and make himself a target, so he cocked back his elbow...

"Hiya!" He slammed his fist through the wooden door. He shoved his hand through the fist sized hole and began pulling from the inside.

The splinters were cutting into his flesh, but he didn't care, he just kept pulling until a big chunk of the wood broke off. He grabbed the first few weapons that his fingers made contact with, and slithered his way to Videl.

Videl grabbed one of the guns and cocked it. She was still coughing, and squinting, if she didn't get some fresh air that very instant, she knew she was going to pass out. Using the sign language they had taught them as part of the Tactics program, she indicated 'exit' to Tuku. Tuku shook his head, that was no exit, it was just a dead end, it lead to a solid wall. He indicated 'bathroom' and 'window', but Videl shook her head, there were more of those gas devices in there. With her gestures she indicated 'follow', 'I' and 'plan' and began to slither towards the dead end without waiting for confirmation.

Tuku didn't see what plan she could possibly have, but he followed.

They were a team after all. To his astonishment, Videl rotated her wrist, and from her palm, out came a ball of light. Before he could blink to process what had happened, she threw it at the wall, and a clean hole, a big hole seemed to materialize out of nowhere. There was no time to process what had just happened though, as they were both in desperate need of the fresh air outside. Still on their stomachs, they squeezed themselves through the hole in the wall and claimed the breaths of fresh air their lungs had been eagerly anticipating.

"What the fuck?" Tuku gasped at the sight that greeted them. The whole base was under attack. This was no simulation, this was no drill, they were all, instructors and all, under attack!

Videl stiffened and cursed when the barrel of a gun pressed itself against the back of her head. Slanting her eyes to the side, she realized that Tuku had just met the exact same fate.

"On your feet" a hostile voice commanded

Videl and Tuku clamoured to their feet, their arms rising, their palms outstretched to indicate their surrender, as their respective weapons dropped to the floor.

"We've secured the target" was the last thing they heard as they tracked in the direction the guns pressed against them were nudging them towards, because the next thing they knew, their world went dark

Videl opened her eyes when she felt a sharp stinging pain on her cheek. _What the fuck?_

She blinked back the fog of confusion and instinctively tried to block the hand that was about to strike her face again. Unfortunately, the slap connected, because to her irritation, she discovered that her hands were bound behind her.

She licked the bit of blood that oozed from her split and cracked lips and glared at the looming figure of her captor. She was sitting on a chair she observed, her feet were bound to its legs at the bottom.

"Hello pretty" her captor said, a sick satisfied smile carving itself on his handsome face. He was tall, well built, with long dark hair tied into a bun at the back of his head. He was wearing a black vest and camouflage pants, with a long and large rifle, draped over his neck.

Videl ignored him, she tugged and pulled at her hands, testing her restraints.

"Come now, Pretty, don't be like that" he said, grabbing her chin between his thumb and index finger, lifting her face so their eyes could meet.

Videl narrowed her eyes, this guy was really starting to piss her off

"Name's Ramrod, pleasure to make your acquaintance Ms Satan" he said, his breath wafting over her face.

"What do you want?" she asked evenly

"Let's just say that my boss has a bone to pick with your little boy-toy's father" he offered by way of explanation

"Tuku?" she said, slightly surprised

"His father is a ruthless and stubborn dictator. Completely unmoved by the cries of his oppressed people, perhaps the cries and blood-spill from his own son will make him see reason. But…a spoilt little heiress like you from the free world wouldn't understand our struggle, why, I bet your nannies used zeni notes to wipe your bum" he sneered

Videl narrowed her eyes, she didn't know much about Tuku's country, but her partner was so sweet and light-hearted, she couldn't picture him coming from bad stock

"So you're holding him for ransom?" she asked, his comment about 'blood-spill' giving her an uneasy feeling

Ramrod laughed

"No Pretty, no ransom, just a small _demonstration_" he said, his tone, and the glint in his eyes running shivers down her spine

"What do you want with me?" her voice was still even, though her fear for her partner, her boyfriend was beginning to take form

"Let's just say, wrong place, wrong time. But since you're here" he licked his lips "…You and I…" he said, caressing her cheek with the tip of his thumb "…are about to get intimately acquainted…" he breathed, letting his eyes move from her face to roam over her body appreciatively

She had heard enough nonsense from Ramrod

She pulled back her face and rammed her forehead into his nose. The attack startled him, and pushed him back. And as he staggered, his hands moving to his face to touch the broken bone, Videl released the ki she had been gathering in her hands during their conversation and screamed. As well as burning through the rope that kept her hands tied, the ki also burned through her flesh.

Recovering from the shock of having his face bashed in, Ramrod used the back of his riffle to strike the screaming prisoner. It struck her across the cheek with bone shattering force, her whole body toppling and crashing on the floor with the chair she was tied to. She winced at the throbbing on her side from her previous injury, the stinging from the broken cheek and the fresh burning in her hands. Still she braced herself. Ramrod grabbed the chair and put it back on its legs. He cocked back a fist and struck her. To his shock, Videl, with her hands freed, blocked him, before decking him beneath the chin with such unexpected force that it sent him crashing into the wall.

Quickly she released another bout of ki and burned through the rope binding her feet, by the time Ramrod rose to his, Videl was already on him. She didn't give him much of a chance to do anything, she jabbed him at the base of his throat, effectively knocking him unconscious.

"…intimately my ass…" she muttered, stepping over his unconscious form

Her hands throbbing in pain, she contemplated her exit strategy.

Tuku was busy stifling a scream as the sickle dug deeper into his stomach. He knew he was going to die. The smell from his exposed intestines was horrific, worse than any dead dog he'd ever smelled. He wanted to cup them with his hands and try to force them back inside him, but he was bound, he could only stare helplessly through his bruised and puss oozing eyes.

They had bound him, gagged him and dipped him in water. They had run electricity through him, and when his body couldn't take it anymore, they had adjusted the camera and began to pound him with their fists, feet, guns, chairs, anything they could get their hands on.

They had laughed at him, pissed on him, spit on him. And through it all, all he could think about was Videl. Knowing that she was suffering this fate because of his father's crimes was killing him.

But with the first penetration of the sickle, with its first grip and twists inside him, he had forgotten every and anything but the excruciating pain.

"What the…" one of his torturers exclaimed, and despite his pitiful condition, Tuku allowed his swollen eyes to follow their startled gazes.

Magnificent

Like an angel she came flying down the disintegrating roof, shooting balls of glorious light from her hands. One, two, three…and they were all on their backs, their torsos smouldering. He blinked, and she landed on her feet, her features contorted in confident anger, but her eyes…her eyes wore the badge of her shock and fear at the gruesomeness of the scene.

"Tuku" she croaked, unable to suppress the gag at the horrible smell. She kneeled before him, her hands shaking, but she laid her hands on his insides and clumsily tried to push back the smelly coil of intestines back into his stomach.

"Hold on Tuku, hold on" she said and moved to make quick work of his restraints. The knots were expertly tied, so she burned through the ropes instead, eliciting a groan from him, as some of the energy touched his flesh

"Don't die on me Tuku, don't you dare die on me" she said, struggling to come up with a plan.

"Nuh…having too much of a good time" he said, trying to smile, his shaky hands covering and applying pressure to his open stomach

One of them began to stir

"Disarm, disarm them…" he told her

Videl leapt in front of the fallen kidnappers and kicked the one who was beginning to stir in the head. One, two, three, she took their guns, putting them in a little pile near Tuku. Lastly she used some of their rope to tie them up.

She didn't know where they were exactly, but she was pretty sure that Terrain Storm would send some people after them as soon as the mayhem from the attack on base settled. In the interim, she needed to keep Tuku alive.

"Tuku, I know it's ill advised, but I have to move you, I'm gonna try and fly us out of here, okay?"

But Tuku didn't get to respond because the door burst open and Videl immediately flew at the newcomer. She was able to kick the gun out of his hand just as he was about to fire. But he produced a knife and swung at her, she jumped back, but not fast enough, the knife made a slice just beneath her breast.

Videl gritted her teeth. This was it, this was life and death. She had dared to hope that the other guy had been bluffing about their intent to spill Tuku's blood as a demonstration to his father, but…the degree to which they had tortured him said otherwise.

These guys meant to kill him, these guys meant to kill _her_

She threw herself at him. A jab to his kidneys made his knees sag, and while he was still disoriented, she wrestled him for his gun. They struggled for two seconds, but Videl was able to overpower him, turn it on him, and jab it into his throat

Blood sputtered everywhere, as his eyes widened in horror. For a second his hands reached for the knife embedded between the discs of his throat, but another second later, his eyes still open, staring back at her hauntingly, his body dropped to the floor, he was dead.

Videl turned her eyes from him, it was the first life she had ever had to take, and the feeling was…sickening.

It would be a while before the rescue team from Terrain Storm arrived. An even longer while before Tuku could get medical attention, but Videl knew that she had to do something drastic in order to save him.

"Right now, _sir_, you are not my first-aid instructor, right now, you are not my superior, right now, you're just some pompous ass who is about to get his ass kicked by a third level if you don't make that call to my father" she had yelled in the jet on their way back to base

He may have been her superior, but they both knew that Videl could kick his ass ten times over if she wanted to, his specialty was medicine, he was in charge of the program that ran the students through basic first-aid practices of combat

In the end, Videl had gotten her way, she had made her hysterical call, and Mr Satan had sent Buu to intercept the jet and heal Tuku. Videl took that opportunity to get Buu to fix her up as well, it would have been scandalous if she had shown up at Erasa's engagement party with a broken cheek, a bruised side and burnt hands.

Tuku's sister had come through with the clothes. Videl didn't even the strength to complain about the design of the dress, every time she blinked; the dead kidnapper's eyes haunted her, and the image of all that blood spilling from his throat kept replaying itself over and over again.

There was only one way she was going to get through Erasa's engagement party, and that was to drink.

And drink she did!

Glass after glass, she kept knocking them back, trying to forget the blood on her hands.

And then _he_ had shown, his mere presence wreaking havoc with her senses. Erasa had never said anything about keeping in touch with Gohan in any of her letters. And of course, with all that alcohol running through her veins, she hadn't been able to help herself.

"_Then what…planning on taking advantage of me Gohan?"_ she had whispered sultrily, daring to hope that her girlish fantasies would finally come true, despite the fact that her boyfriend was somewhere at the party.

But of course, that was just wishful thinking

"_Videl…I…I would never do such a thing…" he had croaked_ confirming that yep, she could dream all she wanted, but Gohan didn't want her, nothing had changed between them.

"_Like I said…same'ol Gohan"_ she had said, disappointedly, disentangling her arms from his neck.

_**Present time, Son Regenerative Institute…**_

She knew she was awake because she could hear the shuffling of feet and the beeping of monitors. She knew she was awake because the pain in her chest was like a constant burn, as if her entire ribcage was open, exposing all the organs inside. She knew she was awake, and yet, her eyelids refused to open, it was as if someone had sealed them with glue, in a warped version of a practical joke.

She needed to know though, she needed to know how Tuku could have done it, shot her in cold blood, just like that. She needed to know what the hell he had been doing in her suite, in her bedroom, hiding in her cupboard! But all that could wait just a bit…because right now, more importantly, she needed to know where she was.

With a lot of effort, effort that she never would have thought she would need just to open her damn eyes, she pulled and strained until slowly a few streaks of light began to dance in her view. She immediately regretted it, shutting her lids again.

"Oh thank god" a groggy voice said, and she felt the unmistakable sensation of touch on her hand

"Videl, if you're awake, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand" the voice spoke again

Videl did as she was told, immediately daring to open her eyes again.

She would know those eyes anywhere, that mouth, that nose, even if they seemed to be buried under a layer of stubble, she would know them anywhere. She sighed as the warm feeling washed over her at the sight of him. It was a pity she wasn't awake after all, cause if Gohan's handsome face was hovering over hers, then she was definitely dreaming.

"You're awake" he said

"G-g…" she tried to speak, but a strangled croak came out instead. Her throat was so raw, the inside of her mouth dry and coarse, and her lips felt painfully dry.

"Don't…don't try to talk" he said, reaching over her head to press a button.

Whatever contraption she had been lying on started to hum, right before it started to move. She could feel her angle adjusting, until she found herself sitting up, without having had moved a muscle.

"Here" Gohan moved into her direct view, placing a small cup with a straw by her lips

She didn't hesitate; she sucked up all the contents of the cup, water had never tasted this good.

She lowered her eyes and chin to her chest to check if it was indeed open, but all she saw was a hospital gown.

"Huhh…h-hurts" she groaned

Gohan frowned, he hated seeing her like this.

He took her hand gently.

"I'll ask them to give you something stronger for the pain" he said, his own pain, at her pain, intensifying

"W-where…" she began, taking in her surroundings

"You're here, at Son Regenerative Institute, I don't know all the details Videl, but…you were shot, in the chest, do you remember?" he informed and asked at the same time

Videl closed her eyes briefly so the swarm of dizziness could dissipate. Sure she remembered, Tuku's face in the cupboard, the gun, the shot…she didn't really feel like focusing on that though. It was so good see his face, to hear his voice.

Despite her pain and discomfort, Videl smiled

"God you look sexy" she said out loud, catching him completely of guard "I guess I should get shot more often, god knows nothing else I've done in the last five years has been able to get your attention" she said with labored breath, ever so playfully, enjoying immeasurably the flicker of emotions that played on his face at her choice of words.

And as his eyes first widened in shock and alarm, and then his face began to heat up in embarrassment, Videl chuckled, her feelings for him cementing themselves once and for all, as only one thought came to mind

Same'ol Gohan

_That's chapter three guys, I hope you enjoyed it. and those of you who were worried about Videl's heavy drinking last chapter can rest easy, she was just under a lot of stress_

MrBlue22: According to my little chart that I drew up for this story, they are twenty-six, assuming that they were eighteen in high-school.

Girl with the dragon tattoo: lol, definitely dark and scary, but you'll see why when I go through more flashbacks in the coming chapters, but yeah, those saiyan instincts came out of nowhere, scaring the poor hospital staff to death, lol

Ayaka86: glad you like the story, thanx for dropping that review

Ultimategohan42: he was rude, very rude, un-gohan kind of rude, lol, just to illustrate how affected he truly was, glad you enjoyed the rest of that chapter though

Kunecke: thank you so much for the review, I hope this chapter was good for you as well

The0blind0writer: mnn, I'm not sure how you will receive this chapter since you hate seeing her with other guys, lol, but it was a necessary evil, lol, but nuh, this is not going to be a long story, maybe up to 8 or ten chaps

Angel no Yami: thank you for the review, I hope this chapter was to your liking

Kibafang666: thank you for dropping the review, I hope you had fun reading this chap as well

Kakarot son: not to worry, you'll get to 'meet' Erasa' hubby, I think…lol, thank you for the review

Alex graham: glad that I haven't deviated too much from teenage gohan, but I figured that after eight years, people change some, thanx for the review


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer, I do not own db/z/gt

Chapter 4

**Four years earlier**

"So…you're breaking up with me?" Gohan said sadly, casting his eyes down to his bare feet. It was hardly the first time he got dumped, but…it still felt awkward, he hated rejection.

"YES!" the blonde screamed, shoving past him as she began to pick up her clothing one by one from the floor, Gohan was clearly sick and obsessed, and she had had ENOUGH!

"I wish you wouldn't" he said, his voice sincere, whilst rubbing his palms up and down his bare arms in a subconscious act of comfort

The blonde grabbed the clay statue off the shelf and threw it at him angrily, cursing when it missed him by a mile

"And I wish you hadn't called me Videl whilst still inside me, but hey…" she seethed, as she stepped into her skirt, wiggling her hips to accelerate the process

Gohan flushed and bit his lip, it wasn't his fault that Videl kept popping into his mind at the most…inconvenient of times. It wasn't!

"At least be a gentleman and call me a taxi, it's the least you can do" she shoved past him again, heels in her hand, as she grabbed her purse off the couch

Gohan sighed, defeated, as he dragged his feet towards the phone. He was twenty-two years old, he had just been awarded his PHD as well as the prestigious Nova Prize for Physiology, he had finally mobilized enough funds to start up his own company, but…he still couldn't hold on to a girlfriend.

Long after the taxi had taken his ex home, Gohan lost the battle with his self-control. He abandoned the journal he had been trying to read, and switched on his computer. He typed in a few commands and for a few seconds, he just sat there, staring at the screen

'Don't do it' he told himself as he stared at the webpage.

**Login**, the green text prompted, tempting him

'Don't do it' he told himself again, but clearly he wasn't really listening to himself, because even as the words registered in his mind, his fingers were already gliding over the keyboard

'SATAN' he typed, and stared at the name before pressing enter

**Password**, a new command instructed, and Gohan took a deep breath before minimizing the screen and opening up a new window,** RUN CRACKER?** It read, and Gohan hesitated for only a second before clicking on the 'yes' button. It didn't take long for the software to bypass Potlaki Intelligence's website's security, Gohan had written the program himself, it was a cinch.

**Welcome Agent Satan** the screen read, and Gohan hurriedly clicked on 'Inbox', he just had to know what Videl was up to.

Half an hour later, Gohan was feeling slightly satiated, he had gone through Videl's e-mails, calenders, photos, reports and missions. It was illegal he knew, unethical, no question. More than that though, it was definitely unhealthy, but he didn't deny that either. He was even convinced that it was probably bordering on something certifiable, but he couldn't help it, he was only able to function, to go on smoothly after oiling himself with tid-bits of her life. And as he slipped on the grey overalls, with 'Maintance' printed boldly in yellow at the back, he felt a familiar trickle of excitement reserved only for these prowling excursions, it had been a few months since he'd watched her, it was time to oil those engines.

He lay perfectly still, watching, listening, letting the sight of her, the sound of her laughter fill the empty void living in his soul. He had flown straight to the roof of the Palak Hotel, her Penthouse suite took up the entire top floor, making it easy for him to land, remove the cylindrical lid from the vent, crawl in and maneuver himself easily in the space and tunnels of the ceiling

"Look who's talking, Ms Penthouse suite, at least I have an excuse, marriage is hard work" Erasa laughed before taking a sip of her wine, though he was high up in the ceiling, with his sensitive hearing, the girl could have been whispering directly into his ear

"I know it's a bit much, but…after that shit-hole I lived in for three years in the desert, I couldn't resist taking up something a little more…comfortable" Videl defended her exorbitant living conditions.

"Still, you're just one person Videl, you don't need all this…space…" Erasa indicated, sweeping her hand over the lavish interior

"Trust me, I deserve it" Videl insisted, refilling her empty glass

"If you say so…" Erasa grinned, "…so is being an agent everything you thought it would be?" she asked her friend

"…not really…" Videl frowned "…the missions are so…boring, no action at all, I'm beginning to think that Potlaki is not the best institution for me…" she said, her frown testifying to her dissatisfaction with her current job

"…I know, I know, same'ol Videl, you're not happy unless you're kicking someone's teeth in…" Erasa sighed

Videl just laughed at her friends comment, it was so true, how she missed her work with the police, it was small time stuff, hardly liberating countries but…she did get to kick ass, save lives, spend time with a certain goofy super-hero…urg…let it go Videl…

"…what about you Erasa…" she said quickly, trying to keep her thoughts from lingering on to a certain boy,"… is being a wife, everything you thought it's be?" she asked

"…everything and MORE!..." Erasa beamed, her eyes lighting up the room

"…sometimes I think you're just perpetually happy Erasa, nothing seems to get you down…" Videl commented

"…I was pretty down when I realized how strict that boot camp you enrolled in was, I hardly saw you in those three years Videl, it was hard on me, don't be doing that again anytime soon okay?..."

"…promise…" Videl said

"…so you and Tuku, how'z long distance treatin'ya?..." Erasa asked

The peeping tom in the ceiling aka as Son Gohan, frowned, at the mention of Tuku's name. He really hated that guy

"…I feel like I hardly see him anymore, you know after we graduated from Terrain Storm, we made all these promises, I knew he had to go back to his country to do some kind of national conscription or something, but…" she shrugged

"…but what?" Erasa probed

"…I never get to see him Erasa, what's the point of being in a relationship if you never see the other party?" she complained

"…don't give me that crock Videl, your father has a private jet, _his_ father has a private jet, he may be living in a third-world country millions of miles away but, if you really wanted to see him more often, you'd make a bit more of an effort…" Erasa observed

"…you're so annoying you know that?" Videl inched further into her couch, kicking off her shoes and draping her legs alongside her

"…maybe…" Erasa giggled "…but I'm nothing if not observant, so, out with it…what's really going on between you and Rambo…" she said

"…oh for Kami's sake Erasa, would you stop calling him that!..." Videl complained, rolling her eyes

"…aw…c'mon Videl, the guy's buff, pretty impressive with an automatic, and has dark olive skin, I can just imagine him twisting his lips and yelling VVVIIIIIDDDEELLLL, before firing a range of bullets into the air" Erasa laughed and dodged the cushion that Videl threw at her

"…you're such a bitch you know that…" Videl laughed

"…guilty…" Erasa agreed

"…nuh…Tuku's actually very sweet…" Videl said

'I'm sweet' Gohan thought bitterly, from his position in the ceiling, he hoped they would take about something else real soon, cause all this talk about Tuku was giving him a real sour taste in his mouth. These sessions of spying on her were supposed to be relaxing, soothing, but all this talk about Tuku…

"…is he still having trouble unclasping your bra?..." Erasa asked out of nowhere

"…Pffft…" Videl sputtered her drink "…ERASA!..." Videl screamed, her face turning beet red

"…I'm just asking…" Erasa shrugged

"...can we have one conversation where you don't try to get me to talk about my sex life please!" Videl shrieked, patting her chest where some of the wine had spilled

"…how else is it going to improve Videl, if you don't let me give you pointers…" Erasa pointed out

"…I DON'T NEED POINTERS!" she yelled

"…oh please Videl, you told me yourself on the night of my engagement party, you've never had an orgasm, at least not one you didn't give to yourself…"

"ERASA! I TOLD YOU NO SUCH THING!" Videl threw another cushion at her friend, this one connecting with Erasa's hand, knocking the glass to her lap

"…hah…hah…hah…" Erasa laughed, "…now look, you've got me all wet, my hubby'll thank you later don't worry…" she said playfully, winking at Videl

"…you're impossible! You know where my closet is, grab whatever you want and change into something dry…" Videl informed her, reaching for the telephone to call housekeeping

Gohan watched with his heart in his throat as Videl spoke with housekeeping, then inclined even further into the couch. 'This is so wrong, if mom knew what I was up to, she'd…' he shuddered at the thought. 'Look what you've reduced me to Videl?' but instead of making his retreat, he allowed the sight of her to sooth him, to take away the slight pinch of hurt that being dumped had left him feeling.

"…tada!..." Erasa posed dramatically, trying to stifle her laughter at her choice of clothes

Videl couldn't help herself, she laughed, Erasa was so childish when she wanted to be. She had deliberately picked her old high-school clothes. An oversized t-shirt with 'FIGHT' written across it, a pair of black spandex tights, and she had even gone as far as parting her long blonde hair into two braided pig-tails

"…honestly, Erasa, I don't know how your husband puts up with you…" Videl rolled her eyes

Erasa just laughed

"…brings back memories, doesn't it?" Erasa said, choosing to sit right next to Videl this time

"…I guess it does…" Videl agreed 'oh Gohan' she thought to herself 'what's it gonna take to get you out of my mind' she wondered, sighing

"…you ever hear from him?" Erasa asked

"…not since your engagement party, no…" Videl said, a far-away look in her eyes

"…WHAT?...SAIYAMAN WAS AT MY ENGAGEMENT PARTY?" she squealed

"…wha…huh…Saiya…um…No, I thought you meant…I mean…never mind…" Videl tried to dismiss the subject

"…OH! You thought I meant Gohan didn't you, ooh, amazing how your brain always takes a leap in his direction…" Erasa teased

"…IT DOES NOT!" Videl defended herself

"…it wouldn't kill you to admit it Videl, I know you used to like him in high-school, I know you wanted to jump his bones…" Erasa said

"…of course I did…" Videl started to say, when a loud bang coming from the ceiling halted her mid-sentence

"…did you hear that?" she asked Erasa, but the blonde was too excited by the admission to pay attention

"…Oh, I can't believe you finally admitted it Videl, I'm so happy for you, you guys should totally get together…" Erasa squealed excitedly

In the ceiling, Gohan didn't move, 'of course I did' she had said, and his shock had been so profound that he'd bumped his head. A long time ago he wouldn't have known what the expression 'jump his bones' meant, but…after years mingling with boys his own age in university, he had picked up more than enough sayings regarding the opposite sex

"…that was four years ago Erasa, honestly, I'm with Tuku now…" she shrugged

"…you can't deny how yummy he looked at my party, hmm, had I not been taken already, I would have…"

"ERASA!" Videl yelped

"…what, I'm married, not blind…" she laughed

"…whatever…" Videl mumbled, taking another sip of her wine

"…I know you're with Tuku now, and I respect that, but let me put it this way, if you guys broke up and Gohan came calling, would you give him a chance?" Erasa asked with her eyes twinkling

"…Gohan would never come calling Erasa, have you forgotten the blonde that was on his arm when he received the Nova award?" Videl said bitterly

"…I thought you said you were not watching?" Erasa teased, a huge grin plastered on her face

"…I didn't, I mean, I saw a clip, somewhere…" she lied

"…this is a hypothetical situation Videl, say there was no blonde, would you consider going out with him, after all these years?" Erasa held her breath, unaware that in the ceiling, Gohan was doing the exact same thing. Had there been Saiyans in the room, they most definitely would have heard the loud thumping of his heart

"…maybe…" she said twirling her glass in her hand.

In the ceiling, it was all Gohan could do not to jump for joy! She hadn't said NO! Which meant, there was a chance, he just had take care of this Tuku problem real quick and Videl would be his. No more sneaking around at night, hovering in the shadows, peeping through ceiling vents. He could be with Videl the way he'd been longing to for so long, it was perfect.

Feeling lighter than he had in a long time, his ex, the blonde, from earlier in the evening completely forgotten, Gohan began to crawl on his elbows and arms, maneuvering his way out of the ceiling. He crawled his way out the ceiling, out the vent, replacing the lid, and blasted off.

As soon as he reached his apartment he called Bulma

"Gohan, it's late, I was in bed" came Bulma's groggy voice

"Sorry Bulma, but it's kind of an emergency" he told her sheepishly, he hadn't paid any attention to what time it was. He had been so excited and eager to get the ball rolling.

"Everything okay kiddo?" she asked, concerned

"Something came up, I suppose I could have waited till morning, but um…could I use your private investigator for a job?" he asked hopefully

"Of course, I'll text you his details, checking up on potential employees already?" she asked, slightly teasing, slightly impressed

"Heh…heh…he…you know me, I try to be as organized as I can…" he lied

"Don't I know it, okay, let me send you the text so I can get back to bed, okay, 'nite sweetie" she yawned

"Goodnight Bulma, and sorry for calling so late" he said, hanging up

A mere second later, his phone beeped, he was tempted to call the guy that very second, but it was late and he didn't want to irritate him. He made himself a sandwich and went to bed.

'Everyone has secrets, just you wait Tuku, just you wait till this private investigator is through with you' he thought happily, allowing the memory of Videl admitting that she had wanted to 'jump his bones' lull him to sleep

Two months later, a certain gentleman delivered a thick envelope to Videl's hotel. That very same night, a furious Videl took the Satan Jet and flew eight hours to Tuku's country.

"Betrothed, this whole time you were fucking betrothed!" she yelled in his face

"It's just politics Videl, it has nothing to do with us" Tuku defended himself

"So you're not planning on marrying this girl?"

"Well of course I'm gonna marry her, but she's only fourteen right now, with her parents consent the earliest we can marry is sixteen!"

"You bastard, you unimaginable bastard!" she yelled, wanting to give him a proper thrashing for his deceit, for making a fool out of her.

"Videl, this girl, she means nothing to me, please, try to see it from my point of view okay? This marriage will bring together the two tribes of my country, the civil wars, all the hate and hostility, all the blood-spill, it will end with the dawn of this marriage, try and understand!" Tuku tried to reason with his hysterical girlfriend

"Fuck you Tuku! How dare you put me in this position? Three years we've been together and this whole time you were stringing me along like some cheap whore, while you waited for your fiancé to come of age?" she had never felt such a bitter taste in her mouth

"Videl, it's not like that, my father and his advisors came up with this solution after I was kidnapped, after he saw the tapes, he knew he had to do something to bring together the people, to put an end to this hatred once and for all. Videl, when we started this thing, I swear to you, I wasn't betrothed" he grabbed her shoulders

"YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME!" she screamed, shrugging out of his attempted embrace

"I wanted to, but Videl, I didn't want to lose you, please, I still don't want to lose you" he begged

"Are you fucking kidding me? You expect me to stay in this relationship after this, and be your what Tuku…your mistress?"

"Just until I sire an heir Videl, a child from both tribes, a child from both blood-lines would be the perfect person to bring harmony and unity across the lands, then after that…as you know, in my country I can take more than one wife…we could…"

And Videl decked him

"ME, A SECOND WIFE? Do you know me at all? I will not be your whore Tuku, legally or otherwise. We're done, through, over, finished, understand, come near me again, and I'll make Terrain Storm look like a picnic!" she said before she stepped over him, practically storming off to her jet, never to set foot in that country again.

Gohan gave himself a few weeks after news of the break-up hit the media before he made his move. It was an extremely busy time for him, Son Regenerative Institute was no longer a pipe dream but a reality. He had so much on his plate, they were currently renting premises, but he had just signed off a huge deal with a contractor to begin building their own, with their own specs. There were many legal contracts to be drawn up with hospitals and governments the world over. He was head hunting the best in the field from research laboratories, pharmacies, hospitals and universities. He was forming relationships with suppliers, everyday, there were organs to grow, and more, there was business to set up – he was an extremely busy man.

Through it all though, Videl was at the forefront of his thoughts, 'is it too soon after the break-up?' he would obsess; he didn't want to jinx his chances by catching her at a bad time. He wanted to wait until she was over the undeserving asshole, but…the impatience was driving him crazy.

Eight weeks after her break-up with Tuku, Videl was still having trouble with him. He wouldn't stop hounding her. He kept sending her flowers and other little trinkets, he kept emailing and texting and calling and bugging the shit out of her. It got so bad, that Videl changed her number, instructed her hotel to send all gifts addressed to her straight to the bin. She was sick of Tuku and his offerings.

It was unfortunate that Gohan, with his busy schedule also opted to send a huge bouquet of flowers as his first-move. The flowers only made it as far as the reception, before the well trained receptionists diverted them elsewhere, no one wanted to deal with an enraged Videl Satan, should the flowers make it all the way up to her Penthouse.

_Dear Videl, it's been ages, I'm coming to Palak City on business next week, would love to get together and catch up, I've missed you, Gohan_

_PS: This is my number, please call me_

The card never saw the light of day, it had gone straight to the bin.

A whole week went by without word, and Gohan was starting to sink into a depression. 'Did I say the wrong thing in the card?' he wondered, he really didn't know what to do now that she had deliberately ignored him.

Refusing to give up though, he went to Palak City anyway, though there was no 'business' to speak of. He deliberately booked a room at Palak Hotel, ready to orchestrate 'running into her' literally. A few days without any sign of her, he discovered through hacking into her emails that she was away on mission, far very far from Palak City. He felt like a fool and a stalker, but humorously admitted to himself that he was indeed both those things.

Throwing caution to the wind, he decided to do things the old fashioned way, he wrote her a letter.

_Dear Videl_

_I was in Palak like I said, but unfortunately you were out of town. I really wanted to see you, I've missed you so much in these last four years. I wish things had gone a bit differently after high-school. I should have come to visit, like I had said, like I had meant to, but…I guess there's no turning back time._

_When you get back, when you get this letter, please use my number, please call me. I find that my mind, my heart is only at ease when filled with the hope that we could one day be more than the strangers we've become and much more than the friends and partners we became._

_Gohan_

He took the elevator all the way to the Penthouse and slipped the note under her door. His heart thumping wildly, loudly, he left the hotel.

It would be a few days before Videl returned to Palak City, the mission had been a waste of her precious time…again. No action, just long winded peace talks. She had made up her mind then and there to send an application to the Tactical Bureau, she was all for peaceful resolutions, but she craved to be where there was physical conflict. She couldn't help herself, she was just wired that way.

As she stepped through the threshold of her suite, she was irritated to find a lone envelope that had somehow sneaked in through her door. 'Urgh' she fumed, 'doesn't he ever quit?' she picked up the envelope and stuffed it into a drawer filled with the first batch of crap from Tuku, the stuff that she had actually opened before it all got too much for her.

'Polygamous piece of shit' she thought, making her way to her bedroom

_That's the chapter, see you guys next time _


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Word is…she survived the surgery, she's gonna live" The Director of TB told Tuku

"I just fired, my hand was already on the trigger, it could have been anyone, someone else looking for the amulet, _she_ wasn't supposed to be there!" he said for the millionth time

The director sighed dramatically, true, he had told Tuku that Videl would be away on mission, but he had pulled her out deliberately. Truthfully he was counting on a surprise confrontation between the two ex lovers, hoping that one of them would take the other out, it would have been perfect, one less person that knew about the amulet.

But…

"I know, she was supposed to be on mission, I don't know what could have happened" he lied to the fidgety Tuku, shifting in his high chair uncomfortably. He had his knees wrapped in cabbage leaves underneath his expensive pants, it was supposed to help him with his arthritis, but so far…it was proving to be just as useless as the meds from his doctors

"I guess it's only a matter of time now" Tuku said

"Look, with her father's influence, there isn't a government in the world that won't give you up in an instant, your best bet is to go back to your own country, at least there you know that your father will deny the extradition request, you'll be safe there" he pretended to care

Tuku just laughed, clearly the director didn't know Videl nearly well enough, he did. He had practically lived with her for three long years under some of the most trying conditions known to man, and the Videl he knew, would be coming for blood…personally

"I'll go home, but…what about the amulet?" he asked the director,

"If it wasn't in her apartment, then we'll just have to watch her when she gets out and hope that she leads us to it" he said, swiveling his chair to face his large window, deep in thought

**Two years earlier…**

"What about the ball tomorrow night, can I persuade you to still come with me?" Gohan asked awkwardly

"FORGET IT YOU CREEP!" the brunette screamed, clutching the sheet close to her chest

"Please Miah, just as friends" he tried again

"Why don't you ask _Videl _to go with you, or better yet, go to the corner of fifth and pick up a prostitute!" she yelled

Gohan winced, he should have never allowed her to convince him to drink champagne after she won her first case. But she had been so excited, she had worked the courtroom and scored a hefty sum for her client and her firm, and she was only an intern!

She had called him up demanding that he take her out to celebrate.

"Dinner's on me!" she had beamed

By the time they got back to her place after dinner, he was beginning to feel the effects of the champagne.

"Hmnn" she moaned as he kissed her, wrapping her legs around him.

He opened his eyes and stared at her blue eyes, but in truth, he wasn't seeing the set that was before him, he was seeing another set of blue eyes, blazing with fire, shining with painful promise as they narrowed to tiny slits before she jumped into the air unleashing a ferocious kick, knocking her opponent into the ground.

"Gohan" she moaned as he laid her on the bed, stretching his body on top of hers, the feel of her skin making him brush aside the cascading pony-tail from her neck to give him access, but in truth, it wasn't her pony-tail he was seeing, he was brushing aside, it was a lone pig-tail of a girl who had freezed him out of her life.

And as she bucked underneath him, calling out his name over and over again, it wasn't her voice he was hearing, but the voice he heard deep in his dreams, on television or through the vents

"Videl" he moaned into her ear, as his body shuddered on top of hers making Miah stiffen underneath him

"Videl" he moaned again before he was rudely brought out of his state of bliss by a violent shove from the young lawyer beneath him

"URGH!" she screamed, slapping him across the face, "Get off, get off, GET OFF!" she continued to push him

Hours after Miah had kicked him out, he found himself flying across the skies aimlessly, until an hour later, he realized that he hadn't been flying aimlessly at all. He had ended up in the Serame Mountains, he recognized the snow capped, twin peaks that resembled nipples from the photographs in Videl's files. Yes, he was still spying on her, so he knew that this is where she was based, now that she was working for the Tactical Bureu.

Clearly he had been following the pull of her ki

He hovered undecided beneath the dark skies, the cold air whipping against his face, but eventually, he gave in to the need, it had been a while since he'd oiled his engines, being with Miah for the last six months had really sent him into denial, it had had him thinking he could go on without this, without these sessions of watching her, these sessions of getting his fill of her.

He had been wrong

Videl was shivering, even as she sat with her hands outstretched over the camp fire. The wind was crisp and cold, and so high up in these mountains, when night fell, without the rescue of the sun, the cold really seeped into your bones.

She couldn't deny that she was enjoying herself, this mission had been exciting from word go. The TB had been approached by the organizers of the Six Hills Tournament, the biggest annual skiing event of the year, to eradicate the violence that had erupted in the region in order to have a successful tournament. The TB was to round-up the hostile forces of renegade civilians, from both ethnic groups squabbling over their rights to the land. They had grown tired of long and never-ending talks by their various leaders, ultimately taking up arms, resorting to violence.

When the death toll of innocent civilians from both sides began to pile up, the TB was called in, with Videl leading the mission. For three long months, Videl and her team trudged deeper and deeper into the mountains, finding the scattered camps, neutralizing the hostiles and taking them into custody to face trial in an international court.

Once the hostile groups were taken care of, the TB was asked to remain as peace-keepers, there was still a lot of hostility and mistrust between the two ethnic groups that shared the mountains. So while their leaders continued their ceaseless talks, Videl and the TB crew remained on stand-by, reading to leap into action anytime a new hostile group arose.

"Coffee?" a raspy voice whispered into her ear

"Thanx Moss" Videl said, taking the tin cup on offer "…how did you do today?" Videl asked

"I came in third, not too bad for a first-try, my dad is not going to see it that way though" he shrugged, sitting beside her next to the crackling fire

Moss was an athlete participating in the Six Hills Tournament, since meeting her in a security briefing with the rest of the competitors he had been relentless in his pursuit to get the peace-keeper to go out on a date with him. Truth be told, even though he had never set foot in Satan City in his life, he had had a bit of a crush on her during her days of crime fighting, he had watched her exploits on television all the times.

"So the tournament's finally over huh?" Videl commented, taking a sip of the steaming cup of coffee

"I have to confess that I'm a bit hurt that you didn't come to watch" he teased

"You keep forgetting that I'm here on a job Moss" she told him

"I'm leaving Serame tomorrow you know, just this once, let me buy you dinner at my hotel…" he said

From where he was perched in a tree overlooking the TB camp, spying, Gohan frowned at the invitation. 'Tell him to fuck off Videl' he raged with his emotions, dipping into that side of him that you wouldn't want to run into in a dark alley at night

"Moss…" she began to formulate a way to let him down easy, but it had been over a year since her break-up with Tuku, and Gohan had never come calling, just as she'd told Erasa that he wouldn't, it was time to move on. 'You like blondes Saiyaman, fine, I can also go for blonde' she thought

"It's just a meal Videl, come on…" Moss smiled, the tiny little freckles scattered on his nose twinkling in the firelight

"Okay" she said

Gohan covered his face with his hands, almost losing his balance and falling out of the tree, but with his practiced skills, he was able to cushion his fall with his ki.

He followed them behind a dark cloud, raising his ki from time to time to keep himself from freezing. He was hardly dressed for this weather, he was still wearing his dress pants and shirt from the dinner with Miah, but he didn't care, he had to know what this Moss was up to

The little hotel didn't give him many spying possibilities, the restaurant was completely enclosed and he didn't see any vents on the thatched roofs, there was no way to spy on them, and this made his angry. 'This is not fair, I have a right to know what they're up to' he raged, but in the end he had to wait it out.

Two long excruciating hours later they emerged, smiling and that about did him in. 'How can you smile at him Videl, look at him, at least Tuku had a bit of a noticeable ki to speak off, but this…this…guy is not worth your time!' but seemingly Videl thought that he was, because she allowed him to escort her back to her camp. She allowed him to hold her hand. She allowed him to wrap his arms around her and kiss her goodbye. 'Look at you Videl, on the first date, how could you?' he continued to torment himself, unaware that his ki was rising

Videl pulled away from the kiss when the ground around them started to tremble. A strong wind blew in, whipping their cheeks painfully with its cold sting.

"Get back to your hotel Moss, there might be an avalanche coming" she told him, gazing worriedly at the mountain peaks, trying to formulate an efficient evacuation plan.

"Right, okay, I'll see you tomorrow?" he probed

"I thought you were leaving tomorrow?" she said

"Something tells me I'm gonna miss my flight" he smiled, before he turned around and took off

'Think again Moss, shmoss, something tells me you'll be making that flight, even if I have to knock you out and put you on it!' Gohan decided

Miraculously, the quake died down with Moss's departure, Videl just shook it off, relieved

**Present Time, Son Regenerative Institute**

Despite her pain and discomfort, Videl smiled

"God you look sexy" she said out loud, catching him completely of guard "I guess I should get shot more often, god knows nothing else I've done in the last five years has been able to get your attention" she said with labored breath, ever so playfully, enjoying immeasurably the flicker of emotions that played on his face at her choice of words.

Gohan stared at her like she had just sprouted horns. 'What does she mean get my attention, I've been pulling my hair out for years trying to get _her_ attention, and each time, she just shut me down' he thought, but quickly remembered that she had just undergone major surgery, which meant she was heavily medicated, disoriented and confused.

He squeezed her hand, and smiled at her

"You gave me quiet a scare Videl, this is the second time you've been shot in two years" he told her, unable to resist the temptation to brush away the unruly strands of hair fallen to the forefront of her face

"This wouldn't happen if you were still my wing man, you know" she smiled

"Videl…" his face fell, there was a truth behind her words, he couldn't deny

"Gohan, I'm kidding…" she said trying to reach out so she could rub his arm, but winced instead, a burning pain shooting through her

"I wasn't in this much pain last time" she commented, closing her eyes, absorbing the pain as she let herself be lulled by the low humming of equipment, the beeping of monitors and the comfort of his hand on hers.

"It was a flesh wound last time, you lost a heart this time Videl…" he choked at the eerie memory of her surgeon cutting her open and removing her damaged heart from its location in the middle of her lungs. He had always wanted to see inside Videl's clothing, but he had never wanted to see as far as the exposed organs in her chest.

"…did you…did you see who it was?" his voice trembled.

Since the day they had wheeled her in, her face as pale as a newborn albino, her form as still as a corpse, he had refused to give in to the burning need to go to her apartment to search for clues himself, he knew he wouldn't be able to stop until he had hunted down whomever was responsible, until he had soaked himself in their blood. So he had kept all his focus on her, on the progress of her growing organs, on the stability of the cardiopulmory bypass provided by the heart-lung machine while she lay still for weeks, her vital organs unable to function for themselves.

"Gohan, this is not your fight, as soon as I've recovered, I'll be taking care of this problem myself okay, you've done enough for me already, I know you must have grown me a heart, thank-you" she said, even as she wondered why her father had not sent Buu to heal her

"I should have been able to do more Videl, Dende has been off planet, so has Buu, and the sensu's…"

"You saved me" she insisted "…I always knew that that overgrown brain of yours would save my life one of these d-uh-ahem-u…" she began to cough, as a monitor started to beep, her face was contorted in a painful grimace as each cough elicited an involuntary muscle contraction in her chest, straining the stitches, shooting bouts of pain throughout her torso

In a heart-beat, her cardiothoracic surgeon came rushing into the room.

"Dr Son, please step aside" he commanded with authority. It irritated him greatly that Dr Son insisted on hovering around this patient so much. He wasn't even a medical doctor, just a PHD, but he had gone as far as throwing his weight around as the owner of the Institute to grant himself access to all kinds of privileges' pertaining to this patient. He had even gone as far as placing himself inside the operation room - It was irrational and unprofessional, and now, he comes to the patient's room to investigate the cause of the distress signal from the monitors, and who does he find bothering his patient…Dr Son

He acted quickly though, disregarding his irritation and hatred for Dr Son and began by attaching a tube into the patient's mouth. He gently placed a few soft pads to her chest, injecting a solution into her IV solution and punching quickly and ferociously on some keyboards.

Immediately Videl felt the stifling and burning feeling that was making her cough subside. She found that there was less pain with the tube in her mouth, breathing for her.

"Thlljkffu" she tried to talk, but the tube was in her way

"That's okay Ms Satan, just take it easy, you should still be resting, your body still has a long way to go" he said, glaring darkly at Dr Son, for no one else would have dared to remove the tube from the patients mouth without his permission.

"I'm Dr Octave, your cardiothoracic surgeon, I have a whole army of people in the waiting room who'll be thrilled to hear that you're finally awake after all these weeks" he informed her, again, casting a dark look at Dr Son.

The man had been completely hot-headed about letting the patients family and friends visit with her. He had refused them, plainly, only allowing the nurses and doctors to do their routine care, everyone else, her father, her boyfriend, her friends, her colleagues…he had denied them all, spewing some nonsense about contamination.

He had tried to call him on it, but Dr Son had merely growled at him, going as far as grabbing him by the collar.

"ENOUGH!" Gohan had growled three weeks ago, grabbing Dr Octave by the collar "No one who isn't staff gets anywhere near Videl, understand?" he uttered gruffly, before he let the surgeon go

"I will not work under these conditions Dr Son, this is highly…" Dr Octave began to say, but Gohan cut him off

"You will not quit this case Dr Octave, only the best hands will operate on Videl, and you Dr…" he snarled "…are the best this field has seen in ten years, you _**will**_ stay on this case, you _**will**_ operate on Videl and you _**will**_ do it under these conditions, or so help me Kami…" he snatched the doctors hands and started to squeeze "…I will end your career right here, right now…" he threatened, as he intensified the pressure

To a surgeon, your hands are your life, they are your most prized possession, they are insured as heavily as your life, and as the pressure intensified on his hand, his efforts to pull out of the grip unfruitful, Dr Octave swallowed, he wouldn't have thought that it was possible for a man of Dr Son's size and built to squeeze so hard, so painfully, but he was no fool, he wasn't willing to bet the bones in his hand, they were his tools of trade

"I'll stay" he croaked and sighed in relief as Gohan let go of his hand

So now, as he stood before his patient, his awake patient, he was eager to have her friends and family swarm the room, he didn't know what Dr Son's obsession with the patient was, but he for one found it a bit creepy.

"Shall I send them in?" he asked her hopefully, feeling a bit of satisfaction at Dr Son's expression. He looked positively put out by the very thought.

Videl nodded her head, she supposed her father was worried, Moss as well…it would have been nice if her time with Gohan could have been elongated but…

"I can only let in a few at a time, so I'll bring the champ and your friend Moss, what about your friend Erasa, the poor things been trying to see you for weeks now, and she's nine months pregnant you know…" he said, feeling sorry for the blonde who had practically made this institution her second home since the shooting.

As Dr Octave made his leave to retrieve the visitors, Gohan felt a pang of guilt towards all the people he had kept from Videl for the first time since this mess started. He had been unable to get past his own grief, unable to think about anything or anyone else. On reflection, he realized that had treated everyone rather…poorly. He grimaced at the memory of physically shoving Ms Sims out of the room. 'I should go and apologize' he realized, feeling ashamed of his actions. 'Who did I become Videl, you see what you do to me, you see how you continue to reduce me to below zero?' he thought painfully as he cast his eyes upon her frail form on that hospital bed

It didn't take long for Dr Octave to arrive back with the visitors. The champ looked pale and haggard, the stress of the past few weeks, of not knowing if his daughter was going to live or die, having had etched worry lines all over his worn out face. Erasa looked chubby and tired, her eyes were still red from crying. She waddled in with her protruding belly wearing slacks and fluffy slippers. The last few weeks had been taxing on her already hormonal emotions.

Moss didn't look any better, the ski athlete looked like he had spent too many hours trapped in a blizzard. He looked pale, his eyes bleary, attesting to the fact that he had also been very worried about his girlfriend. Gohan felt physically sick at the sight of him, his mere presence, a painful blow to the gut, a reminder that Videl didn't belong to him, no matter how much he wished it.

"I'll remove this for now Videl" Dr Octave said, removing the tube in her mouth "…you can't talk to them for a while, but in fifteen minutes, I'll be back to kick them out…" he told her before making his leave, shaking his head in disbelief at the sight of Dr Son _still _standing around, despite the presence of Videl's family.

"Sweat Pea!" the champ cried, rushing to stand by her bedside

"Oh Videl" Erasa sniffed, unable to control the overflow of emotion that gripped her at the sight of her always tougher than old boots friend looking as fragile as a porcelain doll

"Viddy" Moss croaked, his heart constricting painfully at the sight of his girlfriend as he moved to the other side of the bed, grabbing her hand

Gohan watched the scene unfold with his own emotions choking him up. He loved her, but so did they, and he had no right to keep them from her, no right to keep her from them, and certainly no right to keep her to himself.

"Here Erasa" he said, grabbing the visitors one-seater and guiding the pregnant blonde to sit. It was the least he could do.

Erasa hadn't noticed him, until now…

"Gohan?" she asked, slightly surprised, as she allowed herself to be guided down to the couch. God knows her back was killing her

"Hey Erasa, can I get you anything?" he felt the need to ask

"Um…no, but a shave and a haircut could do you some good" she smiled, teasing him, even as she wiped at her tears with her hand

Gohan smiled, Erasa had always been a good friend.

"I was going for the mad scientist look" he said, smiling even though he was close to tears at the sight of Moss brushing Videl's hair back from her face.

"In that case, congratulations, you pull it off rather well" she laughed good-naturedly, with Gohan joining in, anything to keep his mind from thoughts of grabbing the ski athletes legs and stretching them apart until his body split in two, his agonized screams and guts soothing his inhuman heart

"I'll let you guys have some time alone with Videl, I have some…um…stuff that I need to do…" he said, making his way out of the room. The environment had become unbearable, he wasn't claustrophobic, but the sight of them together had snuffed the air out of his lungs. The room was suddenly too small for all of them to be there together, and even though he knew it wasn't really happening he felt the pressure of the walls as they closed around him.

He had to get out, he had to leave.

"Gohan" Videl's voice permeated through, forcing him to halt and turn around

"Thank-you" she told him "I hope you'll come visit again" she added, making him want to scream 'why Videl, why do you want me to come here and torture myself, can't you see that I'm wounded, can't you see my spirit bleed, can't you?' but as only a true offspring of Goku could, he put on his best smile "You bet" he said, stepping into the corridor, closing the door behind him.

_That's chapter 5 guys, let me know what you think, PLEASE_

Thanks to Super-Mystic-Gohan(you're one of very few), MrBlue22(there you go again, killing me with your review, in her defence, she thought it was from Tuku, the polygamous ass that he is, lol)MysticGohan87, zfj, Gamarabi, Noryale, siobhan (thanx for that, your review was fantastic, it gave me hope for this story, thanx for that) alexGraham(see, I can be fast, lol, oh and same to you, UPDATE)


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing

Chapter 6

**Two years earlier (the next day)…**

"Ms Sims" Gohan began hesitantly, standing in her office, with his hands inside the pockets of his lab coat. The office was well air-conditioned, but the peculiarity of his request made him feel a little hot and uncomfortable

"Yes Dr Son?" she looked up from her screen where she had been engrossed in the cumbersome task of choosing variables for her regression analysis

"Um…Miah and I…Miah has a brief to prepare for an important case, she had to cancel for tonight" he lied, praying that his voice was nice and even

"Oh dear, not to worry, I'll talk to the organizers about the seating arrangement, so…it's just you then?" she asked, pulling out her trusty note-book

"Well…" his tongue tied itself in his mouth, Bulma was attending this fundraiser, and if he showed up alone, word would definitely get back to his mom, and then…then he would never hear the end of it

"I was just thinking that we could go together, you know…as colleagues" he held his breath as her eyes widened

"Gee Dr Son, any other time I'd be happy to bail you out, but…um…I'm kinda supposed to be somewhere tonight" she told him truthfully, she had plans with her boyfriend, she couldn't just cancel, she didn't want to cancel

"That's okay" Gohan said, his hopes sinking, 'Damn you Videl, this is your fault!' he thought frustrated with his never ending bad-luck with women 'Look at me standing before my assistant like a fool, while you're probably sipping cheap coffee from a tin with that worthless Moss' he ran his hand through his hair

"I'll be in the lab if you need me" he said, turning from her, making his way out of her office

"Dr Son?" Ms Sims called after him

"Yes?" he turned back around

"Um…stop me if I'm crossing a line here, but…I know that my roommate isn't exactly doing anything tonight…" she put it out there

"Pepper, right?" he began to scratch at the back of his neck 'Look at me Videl! You did this, you did this, look at me, reduced to a pity date by my assistant of all people'

"Yeah, tall with curly hair?" she said, pushing up her glasses with her middle finger

"Yeah, I remember, you think she'd be interested, I mean, it is last minute" Gohan said, unsure if he wanted to take this route, he had never had a problem getting a date, the problem was always _after_ the date 'that's right Videl, you're ruining my life' he raged at her non-presence in his mind

"I'll find out and let you know" she said, itching to get back to her equations now that the little issue of the date was resolved, the sooner she finished, the sooner she could get going for her big night out

"Thanks" he said and walked back to the solitude of his lab. It was comfortable and peaceful in there, all the organs growing from meager tissue samples giving him a sense of usefulness he seldom felt elsewhere 'see Videl, I grow organs, I give people life, what does Moss do?'

Later that night, Gohan greeted Pepper at her door in his tux. He linked his arm with hers, as he escorted her down to the limo

"I hope I'm not underdressed for the occasion" she said, she didn't even get time to go shopping; she just pulled out something from the back of her closet. The dress was simple but classy, beige knee length chiffon, hugging her waist and breast like a glove.

"You look amazing" he said, offering her an appreciative smile. In her heels she was just as tall as him, her long legs stretching to the heavens. She was breathtaking with her sculptured cheek bones and dark skin

"Thank you" she blushed, though it was not noticeable, her dark skin having the advantage of not staining with tell-tale colour

'Doesn't she look amazing Videl, though she's not you, she can never be you, I'll bet she'd never go out with a ski athlete, I bet she wouldn't sip cheap coffee from a tin cup' his memories of his excursion into the mountains from the night before making him scowl

"Everything okay?" she asked, noticing the scowl on his face

"Huh? Yeah, fine, just…what do you think of skiing?" he blurted out of the blue

"Skiing?" she laughed, revealing her perfect white teeth, wondering where that question had come from "…not much to tell you the truth, I like to be warm, you know…a beach on a sunny day, definately. Jumping off mountain tops in the freezing cold, not a chance…' she laughed again, shaking her head

"…me too!..." Gohan beamed, grinning at her 'see Videl, Pepper's perfect' he boasted happily

The fundraising ball was a great success, some of the contributors to the extension to the 'housing wing' for the Institute included Mr Satan and Capsule Corp. Mr Satan felt that he had to contribute towards anything Gohan did, just to keep him sweet on the whole 'Cell' fiasco.

Pepper turned out to be rather knowledgeable on the subject of re-growth, she turned out to be a research student pursuing the application of Gohan's methods to more than just internal organs, she was interested in pushing the limits of his growth serum to external limbs as well. The two of them had spent a great part of the evening animatedly discussing the possibilities of her research, needless to say, the other occupants of their table had not been impressed

"I had fun, thank you, it was definitely an eye opener" Pepper said when they got to her doorstep

"I should be thanking you, without your company, I would have been left to the mercy of the rest of those people from our table" he laughed, Pepper joining in

"Such a boring bunch, my god!" she exclaimed through fits of laughter that died down after a minute, leaving a comfortable silence

"Well" he said, leaning forward and kissing her on the cheek "goodnight" he pulled back and watched her step over the threshold

'see Videl, I don't need you to have a good time' he thought as he began to descend down the stairs, ubruptly changing his mind, taking the steps three at a time as he went back to knock at her now closed door

"Yes?" she said through the crack

"Next week is my parent's anniversary, my dad's friend is throwing them an elaborate surprise party, I'd love to go together" he said, bracing himself for her response

"I'd love to go with you but…um…I hope you don't mind me asking, aren't you…I mean, don't you have a girlfriend?" she asked him

Gohan flushed, of course, he hadn't really told Ms Sims the truth about him and Miah

"Well, the truth is, Miah kinda broke up with me last night, I guess I was too embarrassed to tell Ms Sims" he told her truthfully

"Oh…so…this party for your parents, that will be like, a date, date?" she wanted to be sure, because tonight she had known that it was strictly as friends, something glamorous to do, instead of her usual movie and book routine on a Friday night

"Yeah" he said, nerves that hadn't been there before suddenly coming to the surface

"Okay" she said, her smile reaching all the way to her eyes

'See Videl, I'm not even thinking about you anymore, this party with Pepper is gonna be great'

The surprise party was a great success, Chichi had really been surprised, but Vegeta had blurted the whole thing to Goku long before the day, still, the taller saiyan enjoyed himself immeasurably, wherever there was tables of food, Goku fit right in.

Gohan and Pepper became quiet the item, their shared professional interests cementing the deal. In the physical department, things hadn't taken off at all, Gohan got the impression that Pepper was a bit shy, very unlike the other girls he had dated, who almost always made the first move after a few short dates. He was content to keep things as they were, after all, he really liked her, and he couldn't be sure that he wouldn't make another blunder in the heat of passion.

Yeah, that resolve lasted about as long as his next bottle of champagne. He blamed Pepper of course, things were going well between them, but then she had to go off and have a birthday, and what's worse, her meddlesome friends had to go off and throw her a party, inviting him, coercing him to partake in the festivities, making it impossible for him to say 'no' to that glass of champagne, and the next and the next, so much so, Pepper with her lean and graceful limbs had to support him on the way home.

Alcohol coursing through his veins, he had made a move after all, going beyond the chaste kissing they had been doing in the five months of their relationship. Clothes off, temperatures high, Gohan was just preparing to lose himself in her when…

"Gohan stop, STOP" she stopped him, using her palms to try and push him of off her

'I haven't even said anything yet, have I?' he searched his brain through his champagne induced fog

"I'm sorry Gohan, I just…I just can't do this" she said as she scooted away from him, using the bed sheets to cover herself from him

"I didn't say anything, I swear" he blurted, 'he hadn't, he HADN'T!'

"I guess I should have been a bit more honest about myself, but…we were having so much fun, and I was learning so much from you and I just…the thing is…I…I really don't think I'm attracted to guys" she said uncomfortably

Gohan blinked, and stared at her 'come again now'

"I mean, the first time we went out I was really relaxed cause I thought you had a girlfriend and there was no pressure you know" she raised the sheet just a bit higher, licking her lips slightly to give them a bit of moisture "…but I had such a great time that when you asked me out, I thought…maybe I'm not really gay, maybe I won't have to confess this horrible secret to my parents and they won't look at me with disappointment and disgust in their eyes you know…" she lifted her knees and supported her chin between them"…but with that…_thing_ of yours, so big and hard, it just freaks me out…" she shuddered "…the thought of it coming into my body…" her face contorted in disgust "…I just can't…" she told him

Gohan looked down on said 'thing' and grabbed a pillow, covering it up.

"Please don't hate me" she said sadly, like she had committed the worst crime in the world

"I could never hate you Pepper, we are what we are" he said 'see Videl, this has nothing to do with you, I didn't say your name, I didn't even get a chance to think about you and screw this up, huh, what do you think about that! I'm not thinking of you VIDEL, I'm over you!' he screamed in his mind

The pillow still covering him, he hopped off the bed and pulled on his pants to hide the scary 'thing' from Pepper, before climbing back to bed and sitting up next to her.

"Truth is…" he broke the silence "…I have my own issues with sex, so if it's okay with you, I vote to just put it out of the equation, and see what happens…" he told her

Pepper widened her eyes, was he serious!

"I mean…that is….unless…you want to break up with me" he said lamely, searching for answers on her face, he had been dumped so many times, it was beginning to feel like an inevitability

"You're pulling my leg right?" Pepper stared

"No, I'm not, I'm actually being serious" he said, his voice dipping into sadness 'see Videl, see what choices I have to make, why couldn't you love me back, you could have at least responded to my letter Videl, why wasn't I good enough for you, is it my job Videl, you seem to go for these far from intellectual types'

"So we just…carry on as before?" she asked hesitantly, it would benefit her to continue to have a boyfriend until she was ready to come out of the closet, and she genuinely liked Gohan, he was really one in a million

"Yeah, why not?" he said, hoping that she'd go for the idea. It would benefit him greatly to have a girlfriend, for one thing it would get his mother off his back, for another, with his job, he constantly had to attend 'things' not having to crack his skull open each time could come in handy, and in any event, it was just nice to be with someone, go for a meal, discuss your day, cuddle up to…

"It might get complicated down the road if you meet someone else you know, I'm fine because I'm not ready to come out yet, but you…don't you have needs? She asked shyly

'Yes I have needs, I need you Videl, but I can't have you can i?

"Let's just take it one day at a time Pepper, okay, one day at a time"

**Present Time, Capsule Corp….**

"GET UP BRAT!" Vegeta continued to taunt him "Or has that laboratory turned you into a pussy?" he mocked, panting though, his left arm holding on to his dislocated shoulder.

Gohan tried to pull himself up with his forearms, but he couldn't, the gravity was opposing his efforts, panting, saliva and blood dripping from his mouth, he made one last effort, but truth be told, his heart wasn't in it. He was hurting physically and emotionally down to a cellular level, and no amount of taunting from Vegeta was going to motivate him to push past the pain of broken jaws, cheeks, chins, ribs and most of all, heart. Releasing his hold on his power, he let his energy dissipate, he gave up, letting his cheekbone sink to the floor, the pull of gravity making him feel like his face was being sucked into a vaccum

"I SAID GET UP!" Vegeta raged as he kicked him in the ribs, bits of his own blood trickling from his eye down to Gohan's face. Gohan just grunted and curled himself up into a ball, protecting his softer assests from the assault, but…he didn't get up.

"Pitiful" Vegeta muttered, limping slowly to the controls of the gravity simulator to turn the gravity back to normal, "…no wonder the Satan girl is frolicking with weak white-haired earthlings, you're nothing but a…POOft!" he gasped, sinking to his knees as a fist impaled him from the back, sending a course of paralyzing pain throughout his body

"MASENKO!" Gohan clasped his palms and rained them down on Vegeta's head. The prince's hair flickered, alternating between blonde and black, the mere mention of Moss had recharged his flat batteries in an instant, and before his brain had even had time to process what he was up to, he was already on the attack. Vegeta fell to the floor, the gravity pulling him down by his chin, he bit his tongue and winced, as a jaw-breaking punch collided with the side of his face.

"Phuh..fftt…phuh!" he spit out clots of blood, but still managed to lift up his palm to block the next punch. Rolling himself over, he grabbed the assaulting half-saiyan by the leg that came aiming for his chest and yanked him forward, Gohan toppled over, falling hard on top of Vegeta.

The Price blew him off of him with an energy wave, and as Gohan slammed against the wall, the Prince was already on him. Punch after punch he flattened him further and further into the wall. Each punch eliciting more and more grunts, the princes gloves changing from their white colour to red. Unable to take the pain for much longer, Gohan lifted a knee, he was able to succeed in blocking the next punch, as well as using the brief reprieve to his advantage by reaching out with his other hand, he pushing the Saiyan Prince forcefully away from him, but Vegeta just staggered for a second before regaining his wits and phasing in behind him.

"Gahrtllgah" Gohan choked as Vegeta's arm wrapped around his throat denied him oxygen. He reached up with his arms and did his best to pry off the death grip, but…he was losing oxygen, energy and will.

"That's what I thought" Vegeta murmured into his ear, his voice laced with humour, "…still the sniveling little brat that I met when I first landed on this mud-ball…" he squeezed harder "…quick to throw a tantrum when things don't go his way, but never any follow through…" he whispered in contempt, "…where is all that power brat, even fat Buu would yank you around like a yo-yo in this state…pathetic…" he concluded, releasing his hold off of the PHD

Gohan sagged to his knees, panting, drawing in as much air as he could, his lungs were burning, his body aching, he was done for

Vegeta turned off the controls and powered down, sitting on the floor with his head and back resting against the wall, his breathing heavy, but nowhere near as labored as Gohan's

"You're stronger than this brat, all that laboratory work has made you soft, you could take a page from your father's book" he addressed the battered half-saiyan panting on his knees

"I didn't come here for a lecture Vegeta" Gohan gritted his teeth, sucking on his broken lip and spitting out the blood to the floor

"Maybe not, but since you can't even give me a decent fight, I might as well offer one of those human pep talks…so here it goes…you're pitiful" he declared, wincing as he gripped his shoulder begging to rub on it

"Pfft" Gohan said, before he flopped to the floor

"Where is your saiyan pride boy? Even Kakarott wouldn't let some earthling weakling lay his filthy hands all over his woman, he has too much pride" Vegeta uttered between bouts of breaths

"I told you, this has nothing to do with Videl" he lied, spitting out a mixture of saliva and blood on to the very floor his face was planted on, he didn't care though, not even as that bloody spit gravitated towards his broken cheek bone

He had walked out of Videl's room in the institute feeling like murder, and since he couldn't exactly murder the object of his frustrations, that worthless ski athlete Moss, he had left the Institute for the first time in six weeks and flew straight to Capsule Corp, looking for a fight, and the saiyan prince had been more than happy to oblige

"Of course not" Vegeta said dryly "….that's why you've been nothing but a zombie in these last six-weeks following the shooting…AHHHH…" he screamed as he slammed his shoulder hard against the wall to snap it back to position "…you're not fooling anyone brat…"

'Am I fooling you Videl? Cause I'd be mortified if you knew how I've really turned out, how you've ruined me, HE DIDN'T EVEN COME FIRST IN HIS STUPID SKIING TORNAMENT VIDEL!'

"Go home to your mother brat, you're useless to me, come back when you've grown a bigger pair" Vegeta scrambled to his feet and limped out of the gravity simulation room without a glance back at Gohan

He thought of going home but he didn't want to worry his family, instead he let the Capsule Corp doctor patch him up as best as he could, threw back some heavy painkillers and crawled to the back of his limo and let his driver take him to his apartment, a place he hadn't set foot in in six weeks

Pepper opened the door and gasped, but quickly moved to support the seemingly battered man.

"Gohan what in the world?" she said worriedly, allowing him to lean on her, as she guided him to the couch. She hadn't seen him in six weeks and this is how he came back home! "Where you robbed, why didn't you call me, I would have taken you to the hospital" she fussed over him

"Pepper it's okay, can we just go to bed please, I'm really tired" he said, a bit drowsy from all the meds

At the Institute, hours after her visitors left, Videl lay staring at nothing in particular. Moss's proposal had come out of nowhere, it was obvious that he hadn't even known he was going to propose himself, he hadn't even had a ring.

Videl sighed, trying to turn over, but wincing instead as the pain shut her down.

"I don't know what to say Moss" she had breathed, his proposal catching her completely off guard

"Say yes, say you'll marry me, say you'll spend the rest of your life with me" he held her hand, his blue eyes shining with hope.

"I-I…I need time to think Moss, this is all very, sudden" she stammered

"I understand, it feels sudden to me too" he smiled, leaning over to kiss her on the forehead

She closed her eyes to the memory and shook her head, she was pathetic, truly and utterly pathetic. Eight years, and she was holding a candle for her high-school crush. The wax should have melted and finished years ago, but no…it was still burning for him

Opening her eyes she willed her mind to focus on things she had the power to control, like Tuku, that sneaky little rat.

'I hope you're having fun wherever you are Tuku, cause when I get out of here, it's you and me, just like the old days' she thought, letting all the different ways she was going to make him scream out in pain lull her to sleep

_That's chapter 6 guys, let me in, let me know how the story is getting on_

Thanks to dbz-writing-for-fun, MrBlue22(hah hah hah "who writes letters anyway" GOHAN does, come on, the guy was right there outside her door , haven't seen Mr/s Smith, so not sure, but every reference to the past, is in reference to the six weeks since her shooting, I haven't gotten to the part of her first shooting yet, thanx for the review) super-mystic-gohan, SierraLarson(yay, I'm so glad you're enjoying it) Siobhan (the saiyan alpha male huh, we'll see, lol) girl-with-the-dragon-tatoo (thank you ever so much, your review really made me laugh and write, it was fantastic!) MRM (eight actually, ouch, been a while, and lol at girls calling him 'daddy', hah hah hah)


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Hey guys, here is that update, I've been a bit bleh these days, so haven't really written much, hopefully this will kick me back into shape

**One year earlier…**

"It was CONSENSUAL!" Agent Blitz defended himself, pulling off his gloves now that he was inside the container, where the temperature was just slightly warmer. The tips of his ears and nose were blue and numb from the cold

"I don't care Blitz, you know the code, and you broke it, and now we have a damn riot on our hands, I have no choice but to send you home, when this mess dies down, you'll have to sit through a hearing, rules are rules" Videl looked up from her desk, where she had just signed his dismissal

"This is bullshit Satan, and you know it, I didn't rape that woman, she invited me into her house for crying out loud, she cooked me dinner and gave me a foot-rub. I just took what was offered and if you do this, if you send me home, my reputation will be torn to shreds, I'll be pushing paper for the rest of my life" he glared back, towering over her from the other side of her desk

Outside, they could hear the commotion of the altercation between the natives and the rest of their men. Videl wanted to wrap up the formalities quickly so she could get out there and attempt to diffuse the situation.

"You are an agent of the TB Blitz, you know the rules, no romantic entanglements on assignment, it's forbidden" she reminded him, as she pushed her chair back to stand and handed him his papers

"Need I remind you agent Satan, that your 'romantic entanglement' with the ski athlete is a well known fact, a bit hypocritical don't you think, since we are all under assignment here" he pointed out, instead of taking the papers

Like a red rag to a bull, Videl suddenly appeared right before Blitz, her eyes narrowed, and her lips pursed. She shoved the papers hard against his chest, right were the buttons of his coat started their downward trail, and forced him to take a few steps back

"Is Moss a native of these mountains?" her voice was firm and frightening, much like the dark glint in her eyes

"No" Blitz took another step back and gulped

"Does he fall under the protectorate of this assignment?" she applied more pressure to her hand which was still resting on his chest, supporting the papers

"No" he backed up even more

"Have I been accused of raping him lately?" her ki shot up, even though it was not her intention

"No" the answer came out hoarse as he began to feel himself panic at the slightly burning sensation where her palm lay flat against his coat.

"Has our relationship elicited a dangerous riot?" she finally backed him up into the wall of the tiny trailer, her neck tilted up at a slight angle

"NO" Blitz admitted, sweating now, despite the coldness in the air

"Then shut your damn mouth, agent, and go pack your damn bags, you're dismissed" she pulled away from him, offering the papers up to him one last time, the look in her eyes saying volumes

"Yes, ma'am" Blitz swallowed, grabbing the papers as he hurriedly made his exit out the container

Videl sighed, this was the part of the job that she didn't like. Blitz was an okay guy, he just had no self control when it came to the opposite sex. It was highly unlikely that the allegations of rape were true, but if she didn't send him home, away from the angry masses calling for their own brand of justice, he might find himself stoned. Blitz didn't realize it, but Videl was sending him off for his own protection.

It took her a few minutes to suit-up and head out into the chaos.

The agents had made a barricade, trying to restrain the angry mob of natives. In every direction, feces, rotting fruits, stones and all kinds of other unidentifiable garbage was been thrown at them. They wanted Blitz, they wanted him to face their own tribal justice.

"Agent Satan, we can't hold them off peacefully for much longer" Brandy called out, his voice strained, he was second in command and had been in charge of holding back the natives whilst they waited for on further orders from Videl "…permission to unleash the gas, ma'am!" he shouted over the loud screaming of the mob

Videl gritted her teeth and looked around. The situation was escalating out of control. She didn't have any hands on experience with this particular situation, and when in doubt, she fell back to her Terrain Storm training.

"Permission granted Brandy!" she gave the okay, pulling out a mask from her gear and strapping it on her face.

The rest of the agents had barely strapped their own masks on when the gas hit with a loud hiss and an explosive cloud of white. Bouts of screams and coughing erupted from the crowd when the gas was inhaled, irritating the mucous membranes in the eyes, the nose, the mouth and the lungs. Groups began to scatter as some fled the intrusive effects of the gas. They were crying and sneezing and coughing, their breathing labored and hard, their eyes stinging and burning even as some began to experience temporary bouts of blindness.

Out of nowhere, gun-fire erupted, Videl felt the hairs at the back of her neck tingle as she saw the scene unfold in slow motion. The shooter was not an agent, and yet he was wearing a mask, as if he had been anticipating this to happen. Instincts kicking in, she pushed he ki beneath her and flew at the intended target, who also seemed out of place in the mob of panic. Videl knocked her down with the sheer force of the contact as a burning pain shot through her shoulder where the bullet hit.

She ignored the pain and used her body to completely shield the frightened woman beneath her with her whole body as the barrage of bullets hit, stinging her, though not really penetrating or doing much damage due to her protective gear.

"Are you okay? Are you hit?" she pulled off her mask and placed it over the pale woman's face as the barrage stopped.

The woman shook her head 'no' furiously, pointing instead to Videl's shoulder where blood was already oozing out in an angry scream of red.

The remnants of the gas in the vicinity began to attack her senses now that her mask was down, and Videl felt the burn in her eyes and chest.

"Agent Satan, are you okay ma'am, are you hit?" one of her men was by her side in an instant, signally to the others to come and help him. They grabbed her and the woman and escorted them back into the safety of their medical container in their camp.

It hurt but she had suffered far worse, as they removed the bullet and stitched her up. Luckily it was just a flesh wound. Her arm in a sling, she gave Brandy orders and gave the okay for the family of the woman she had saved to come in and see her.

She was surprised by the sight that greeted her, the woman walked in with two girls, two identical girls to be exact with skin as pale as the snow on the mountain peaks and eyes as blue as hers, attributes she had never seen amongst the natives of Serame. They walked in hesitantly and the two girls dropped to their knees to kiss her feet.

Videl blushed, feeling extremely uncomfortable, she had read about the customs of the Serame people, both tribes, but she still found it odd that people actually did these kinds of things.

"Please, you may stand" she told them, feeling like a complete fraud.

"You saved my life at the risk of your own, and in return, my girls wish to offer you something" the woman spoke rather formally

"That's okay, I was just doing my job, really, you don't have to give me anything, knowing that you're going to be okay, is thanks enough" she told them

"It is a matter of honour young foreigner, there really isn't a choice to be made" she told her whilst beckoning the two twins forward

The girls cast down their eyes and moved as if to embrace each other, only…a blue light sparkled briefly between their torsos as their clothes touched, making Videl gasp, just as they stepped away from each other.

A loud clank, made her cast her own eyes down towards the floor, where a bright blue metal had fallen as if from their bodies. But that was impossible right? Videl felt drawn to it, and without thinking, she bent her knees and picked it up. She wouldn't describe it as electricity per say, but something warm and prickling ran through her body as she picked it up, but just as suddenly it died.

"It is done" the woman said, her eyes lingering on the amulet for a few minutes before she turned in the direction of the door they had walked in through, the girls following behind.

"Wait" Videl called to them "…I don't even know what this is…" she said lamely, her intention had been to insist that they keep it, but holding it as she was, she found that she didn't want to part from it, it was strange.

"It is a jewel of our people, it is the real reason behind the wars in the tribes, no matter what the leaders may claim. I believe it has already chosen you young foreigner, speak with your heart and it shall bring to you that which you desire the most, I hope it brings you the happiness that it never brought me, or my girls" she bowed and made her leave

Videl sat in her chair staring at the strange blue jewel. Years ago, before Gohan had come into her life, the last thing she had believed in was magic. But now, knowing what she knew about the dragonballs, about Baba and her crystal ball, about otherworld and Kais and aliens and ki, she knew that nothing was impossible.

'That which my heart desires' she mused, turning the jewel over in her hand. It was certainly beautiful, it had certainly given her a strange feeling, but…could it really give her the one thing that her heart desired above all others? Yeah right, she dismissed the notion, yet she still kept it in her hand

'Okay jewel, if there's any magic in you whatsoever, bring him to me, bring Gohan here, right now, this instance, give me that which my heart desires' she told the amulet, as she closed her eyes and held her breath

Thousands of miles from the Serame Mountains, a certain half-alien stood over a glass dish, heavily immersed in and peering at the miracle that was the skin graft growing in the VR-serum. 'Seventy-two percent and counting' he thought, smiling because the alterations he had made to the serum seemed to be producing faster results. He adjusted the magnification on his lenses and observed the cellular structure of the skin, it was perfect, and he was elated to be part of this process.

It was not unusual for him to find himself thinking about _her_ at the most inconvenient of times, but the way she suddenly pushed to the forefront of his thoughts whilst he was immersed in the task of harvesting his skin grafts, was slightly…unnerving. Her image burned into him out of nowhere, making his skin tingle, making his breath hitch, making him incapable of any other thought.

'Videl' Gohan halted his actions, promptly slipping off his gloves, his lab coat, and making his way out the lab.

He was on autopilot, even though he didn't realize it himself, he pushed past Ms Sims who was about to intercept him at the door, he pushed past security, past the scurry of employees that tried to greet him and pushed forth the heavy metal doors that led to the fire escape.

He took the stairs four at a time in his haste to get to the roof. Flying would have been faster, but in broad daylight, with hundreds of pedestrians going about their business in the street below, it wasn't such a good idea without a disguise.

The limo driver butted out his cigarette in great haste, when Dr Son pushed through the doors leading to the landing pad on the roof. He had not been expecting him for another two hours. He straightened his uniform and opened the back door for him

"My apartment, and please hurry…" Gohan instructed, settling back into the comfort of the seat impatiently, still being driven by a force he couldn't explain

As soon as his limo descended to the top of his building, Gohan shot out of the car and raced to his apartment.

"You're home early…" Pepper peered up from her stack of journals, but stopped mid-sentence when Gohan shot past him and raced to their bedroom

"WHERE IS IT?" he yelled loud enough for her to come running

"Where is what?" she asked concerned, when she saw all the items he had carelessly tossed out, he also looked slightly agitated

"My watch, I kept it in this drawer" he pointed, looking at her expectantly, as well as impatiently

"Your graduation present?" she asked him, bewildered

"No Pepper, my big round plastic watch, you know…with the black buckle" he explained in a panic

"Oh, that thing, it's in the guest room, I thought it was Goten's from his last visit, do you want me to…" but he was already gone

Gohan strapped on his old watch and rushed out the door. Usually he didn't need it, usually he reserved his spying exploits for the middle of the night, under the cover of darkness. But since he had to get to Videl at that very instance, he needed his watch.

It felt like forever but, finally he made it. He de-transformed as he descended to the ground behind some trees around her camp and continued to hone in on her ki. His strides were long and purposeful, he had to see her, had to talk to her, had to, had to, had to.

When the door of her container flew open dramatically, Videl who had remained rooted on the same spot for close to an hour, clutching the amulet, willing it's alleged magic to bring Gohan to her, snapped her eyes open. 'Did it work, did it actually work?' she thought frantically as she came face to face with the looming figure of a tall silhouette in the door-frame. The sun was shining directly in her eyes, so she had to squint to make out for sure who it was.

Disappointed, she put on a smile as Moss rushed to embrace her.

"You're okay" he said, relieved that she was up and about.

"I'm okay" she reassured him, returning the hug, the amulet still in her hand. 'Stupid, stupid, Videl' she scolded herself; as she closed her eyes to keep the tears of disappointment from escaping the sanctity of her eyes. 'Stupid, stupid amulet' she concluded

Gohan covered the light in the doorframe with his silhouette just in time to witness Moss pulling back from Videl, as he leaned in, meeting her half-way to give her a kiss.

Whatever force it was that had driven him for the last hour, lost it's steam as the sight before him cut deeply into his soul. 'What am I even doing here?' he wondered, turning around, his heart racing, as he backtracked to the safety of the trees. 'What the hell am I even doing HERE?' he screamed at himself

**Present-Time, Son Regenerative Institute…**

"You think I could persuade Gohan to get a bed made for me in here?" Erasa joked, shifting in the visitors chair uncomfortably, her swollen feet removed from her slippers

"Erasa I've already told you, you should be at home resting, you don't have to watch me twenty-four seven. Do you want to go into premature labour?" Videl asked, concerned about her heavily pregnant friend

"You heard that nurse, _Dr Son_" she emphasized their old friends title humorously "…gave the okay for me to be here around the clock if I want to, I'm just making sure that his generosity does not go to waste, besides, if I do go into this labour, I'll be fine, this place does have the best doctors you know" she started to laugh, only to groan at the tiresome aching on her lower back

"…maybe…" Videl said distractedly, unable to get her mind off of Moss's impromptu proposal just as the doorknob to her private room turned

"Good god Erasa, you're huge!" Sharpener remarked as he made his entrance with a box of grapes supported on one palm, the other closing the door behind him

"How dare you Sharpener, I'm pregnant okay" Erasa scoffed, rubbing her belly subconsciously, they had talked often on the phone since Videl's shooting, Erasa had told him last night that Videl was finally awake and allowed to receive visitors now that she was out of the woods

Sharpener just laughed, he so enjoyed teasing her, more so in this last trimester, he never would have thought he'd see Erasa so huge, and totally without a care in the world regarding her appearance.

He took a few minutes to look over the patient, she looked so frail and fragile, it was hard to bare. They had been friends since birth, their mothers having had been high-school friends. Their friendship had even survived his conceited and obnoxious high-school phase.

"Babe" he said, addressing her "…don't be scaring us like that again okay, check it out…" he said, putting the box forward"…seedless grapes, just like the old days huh…" he placed his offering on the table, walked towards the bed and gave her a brotherly peck on the forehead

"…hey Sharpener, you remembered…" she smiled weakly, seedless grapes were her hospital food of choice; they were soft, sweet and juicy

"…it's all in the details babe, all in the details…" he winked, walking back to the little table to open up the box

"…aren't you a little overdressed for a hospital visit?" Erasa remarked, taking in his complete business suit, she had to admit, with his hair cut short and styled, he looked rather respectable

"…just because you've let yourself go since the pregnancy…" he said, ducking and laughing as Erasa tossed an empty paper cup in his direction "…just kidding, just kidding…" he put up his hands in a peaceful gesture "…I'm here mixing a little business with pleasure, you know how I do…" he boasted, popping the handful of grapes in his mouth one at a time, forgetting that he had been about to give some to Videl, as he leaned casually against the wall

"…what business could you possibly have in a hospital? Don't tell me you've been reduced to chasing ambulances in that big bad law firm of yours ?" Erasa quirked her brow

"…please…" he scoffed "…I'm here on behalf of the firm, we've been procured to bail brains out of this predicament, and since I know both of you personally, I figured I'd volunteer for the case…" he told them absently

"…case? Gohan? Huh? what are you talking about Sharpener?" Videl asked

"…the lawsuit of course, what else would I be talking about…" he shrugged, swiping away at the trickle of grape juice on his cleft with his thumb, before he folded his arms

"…hello, Sharpner, details please, Videl and I have no idea what the hell you're talking about…" Erasa snapped "…is Gohan in some kind of trouble with the law?"

"…you guys really don't know?" he unfolded his arms and moved away from the wall to stand closer the bed

The two girls stared at him blankly

"…I'll know the full details after today's briefing with the Institute's in-house legal team…" he ran his hand through his gel-made spikes "…but apparently this liquid or juice or serum or whatever-the-fuck that brains developed to grow these creepy organs takes a really long time to cook-up or mature or whatever…" he began to brief them as he placed his arm over the visitors chair "…so anyway, when our Videl here got shot, the Institute didn't have any ready juice to cook-up her heart with…SO Brains apparently just tossed out someone else's cooking organs…" he continued as he made a throwing gesture with his hand "… and then, he used THAT juice to cook you a heart…" he concluded the explanation

Videl's already pale face, drained even more of colour "…it's not juice Sharpener it's called VR Serum…" Videl corrected him, she knew more than she should about Gohan's serum, she had been keeping up with the literature on him all these years after all "…and the organs don't cook, they grow from single tissue cells, depending on the organ the growth process can take anywhere from two weeks to months…" she added

"…juice, serum, whatever, it's all very creepy if you ask me…" he shrugged "…the point is, that patient died, because his organs were delayed, and now his family is suing Brains and the Institute…"

Videl's heart skipped a beat, she was alive because someone else was dead? No! Gohan wouldn't do that, he wouldn't just…she shook her head

"…are you serious Sharpener, that other patient died?" Erasa asked, shocked

"…yep…" he said nonchalantly "…better them than Videl right?" he shrugged "…brains made the right call, I for one am glad that Videl is alive and well…"

"SHARPENER!" both girls yelled at him, but the yelling was too much for Videl because immediately after raising her voice that high, she regretted it as a shooting pain coursed itself through her body

"…don't you have any compassion?" Erasa scolded him, appalled by his nonchalant attitude

"…sure I do babe, but I'm not gonna be a hypocrite and say that I wish brains hadn't done what he did, besides, that patient might have died anyway, all the facts are not in yet, that's why we're here after all, to get the facts, you know what I always say…" but Erasa cut him off before he could finish that sentence

"…yeah, yeah, yeah, it's all in the details, we know…" Erasa rolled her eyes

"…so…um…they're not gonna arrest him or something are they?" Videl said out loud, scared of what might happen if they tried to take Gohan into custody, not so much what Gohan himself would do, but she had met Chichi a few times and…she shuddered, the woman wouldn't hesitate to take out the entire police force, and then if they tried to stop her or restrain her…things could get ugly if any of Gohan's click intervened

"…mnn…" he grabbed his chin, contemplating his response "…so far, it's just a civil matter, but I suppose, depending on the findings…" he left the sentence hanging

"…no offense Sharpener, but…shouldn't someone more senior in your firm be taking on this case, I mean, you're still just a junior associate, and Gohan should have the best…" Videl offered her opinion

"…thanks for the vote of confidence babe, I'll have you know that I can win this case in my sleep, no sweat…" he swiped his hands up and down "…but, just for insurance, the senior associates and partners are all over this…" he smirked as the girls rolled their eyes at his characteristic arrogance "…I'm just one of many on the team, don't worry Videl, we'll find a way to get brains out of this…" he said, glancing at his watch "…so, time's up gals, gotta run. Hopefully I'll catch ya after the briefing is done…" he said as he straightened his suit jacket

"…well, tell Gohan we're rooting for him, okay?" Erasa said, feeling sad for both her friends. Gohan for the predicament he was in for saving Videl's life and Videl for the guilt she would undoubtedly carry with her for a while, especially knowing how hard she was prone to being on herself

"…anything for you fat girl…" Sharpener said, laughing and ducking out the door as quickly as possible to escape Erasa's inevitable retaliation.

"…GET BACK HERE YOU CREEP!" Erasa screamed after him, but Sharpener was long gone. She sighed and settled back into her chair, her chubby cheeks rosy from indignation

"I'm not really fat, am I Videl?" she turned sad hopeful eyes on her friend

"Well…" Videl began

"VIDEL, not you too!" Erasa shrieked, slumping back into her chair

Gohan sat uncomfortably in the large boardroom, he looked like shit, and every so often, he would catch the members of his legal team staring at him in fright. He couldn't blame them though, even Pepper had been frightened by the sight of him.

One eye was completely closed now, with the flesh around it severely swollen, puss-filled and discolored. He had a broken nose, a broken cheek, a broken chin, and what they couldn't see underneath his immaculate suit – broken ribs, all courtesy of a certain saiyan prince

This 'briefing' had caught him at the worst possible time. He hadn't checked any of his messages, hadn't opened any of his memo's or letters and had blatantly been ignoring Ms Sims whenever she had tried to have a word with him.

Shame filled him now as he recalled how he had literally shut the door in her face upon her last attempt to talk to him about this lawsuit. When the documents had first been served, he hadn't even given them a second thought, they were a waste of time that he had better spent looming over an unconscious Videl.

Sharpener gasped and halted his hurried entrance when he saw the state of his old high school friend. 'What the fuck have you been involved in brains?' he thought, shocked, as he made his way to greet him

"Sharpener, so you're here too huh?" Gohan pushed back his chair, wincing at the pain the act of getting up brought to his ribs, as he extended his hand to greet the young blonde lawyer

"Of course I am, but dude, were you robbed or something?" Sharpener had to ask

Gohan tried to laugh but it hurt too much, 'damn you Videl, this is your fault, even if it was Vegeta's fists' so instead of smiling he attempted a grin, but even that didn't come out quiet right

"Nuh…nothing like that, bar fight…" he lied, sitting back down in his chair. Sharpener gave him a once over worriedly, but shook his head and found an empty seat as the remnants of the legal team made their way in, all flinching at the sight of their soon to be client

The legal babble droned on and on, and truth be told, Gohan wasn't really paying attention. He was thinking about Videl and his conversation with Vegeta. He was thinking about Videl and his conversation with Pepper, and he knew that he had to make some changes.

'I should just march your room and tell you how I feel, Vegeta is right, Videl, I should listen to him and take a page out of dad's book. Dad never accepts defeat, never, no matter what. I hope you're feeling better today Videl, I should be there with you, tending to your every need, not wasting my time with this lawsuit' he told himself

"…look, the bottom line is simple, with the letter from the world leader, practically begging the Institute to make an exception in the case of Ms Satan, they have no case, all we have to do is prove that Dr Son was merely following an executive order, and we're home free…" the senior associate assured the Institutes legal team

"…true, but unless we can discredit their alleged motive, the letter will not have as powerful an impact as we might think, especially given that they have copies of other requests of this nature which were blatantly denied by Dr Son personally…" the legal guy pointed out

'No, no, that won't work, flowers didn't really work for me in the past. I'll just march into her room and tell her how I feel, and if she doesn't feel the same way then, well…I'll just suck it up, be a man and live with it…RIGHT…cause I've been doing that so well in the last eight years…' Gohan continued his own briefing in his head

"…but their motive is bullshit, there is no romantic involvement between Dr Son and Ms Satan, there never has been, it's just ridiculous…" Sharpener pointed out

"…true as that may be, we still have to prove that it's bullshit…" the legal guy pointed out "…and frankly, given Dr Son's behavior around the Institute since Ms Satan was brought in, that theory doesn't seem to be as farfetched as you might think…" he reminded them

"…that's just nonsense, medically speaking, I have it on good authority that the patient was probably going to die anyway, with or without the transplant. We'll just follow that up and prove it, in the meantime all we have to do is discredit the two depones whose affidavits purport to this alleged romance and this case is toast…" Sharpener said confidently, leaning back in his chair

"…who are they again?" the senior associate asked

"…um…" the legal guy flipped through his pages "…an Angela Merriadick and um…Miah Longacres…" he read the names out

"…well, I personally knew Ms Merriadick in high-school, and by the time I'm through with her, she will have less than zero credibility left…" Sharpener smirked

"…and Ms Longacres, her romantic entanglement with Dr Son was a well known affair, her testimony could be…damaging, especially given her flawless credentials as a sharp up and coming legal mind…" the senior associate addressed Sharpener

"...I haven't read the transcripts of her testimony, what did she have to say that was so damaging?" Sharpener said, already flipping through the file to see for himself

"…she claims that Dr Son referred to her by Ms Satan's name while they were engaged in sexual intercourse…repeatedly…" the senior associate put it out there, stealing a glance at Dr Son to gauge his reaction, whilst everyone else lowered their eyes and flushed, rendering the boardroom quiet. But to his irritation, Dr Son didn't even react, in fact, he didn't seem to be paying attention to the proceedings at all

"…well that's just…um…that's just…" Sharpener made a great show of flipping through some notes, but really he was just trying to compose his shock

'…maybe I should try hypnosis, if people can quit smoking, surely I can get over Videl…but I don't want to get over you Videl, I want to get inside you, I want to run my fingers through your hair and suck on your toes, I want to scrub your back in the bath and drink coffee with you in the morning. I want to fly higher than the clouds and spar with you in the heavens. I want to take a vacation on Bulma's new spaceship and make love floating around in zero-gravity. I want to listen to your laugh up close and personal, not through vents and open windows. Damn it Videl, I want to be the one making you laugh, not him, not Moss, not HIM VIDEL!' his obsession continued

"…good…" the senior partner concluded, "…we'll have the Institute's PR give out a statement as soon as possible, if we can get Ms Satan's people to do the same, it will definitely be advantageous…" he said, happy to see that everyone was in complete agreement with him

"…I'll make sure that Dr Son and his girlfriend make as many a public appearance as possible, the more solid the potential jury sees them to be the better, the same goes for Ms Satan and her boyfriend…" Sharpener said happily. 'Like I told the girls, I could win this case in my sleep, watch out world…Sharpener is about to make partner' he congratulated himself

"Dude, you really need to see a doctor" Sharpner told Gohan as they made their way into to the elevator

Back in her room, Videl lay scowling at the TV, specifically at the Institutes PR who was giving a statement on behalf of Gohan.

"…the idea that Dr Son and Ms Satan are involved romantically is as ridiculous as it is outrageous, a desperate leap by the plaintif, concocted solely…" he continued his statement

"…did you hear that Erasa, Gohan thinks the idea of being with me is outrageous and ridiculous…" she fumed, just as Sharpener and Gohan stepped into the room

"MY GOD!" Erasa shrieked at the sight of him, he looked terrible "…Gohan what happened to you?"

"It's nothing Erasa, I'll be fine" he tried to shrug, but boy or boy did it cost him

Videl couldn't believe her eyes, only a handful of people could accomplish such a feat. Goku, Vegeta, maybe Buu…maybe…

"Babe, I can't stay long, I'm on the clock you know, but I need you to get your dad's PR to make a statement to help Gohan's case" he told her, moving to help himself to some of her grapes

"Yeah, sure Sharpener, whatever I can do, what kind of statement?" she asked

"Just that you're not sleeping with Brains, never have and never will, you know…just to clear the air" he said nonchalantly, popping a few grapes into his mouth

"What?" Videl shrieked

"Huh?" Gohan came back to reality

"I know, tell me about it, ridiculous right?" he chewed on a few more grapes "…they're whole case is based on the ridiculous notion that you and Brains have this secret romance going, bla bla bla…" he laughed at the absurdity of the very idea, but Erasa wasn't laughing, neither was Videl nor was Gohan

"I said it's ridiculous right?" he suddenly had a very bad feeling when all three of them suddenly looked uncomfortable and just sort of…stared at him "…I mean, Brains, you don't really have feelings for her, not like that? Not really, right?" he stared at the battered doctor, expecting him to laugh and deny it good naturedly

Videl felt her pulse quicken at Sharpeners question, her eyes were already searching Gohan's face in desperation

"But I do Sharpener, I love her, I always have" he said simply, his one good eye catching her startled ones

Sharpener cursed, 'there goes the case, there goes my damn partnership'

Erasa felt a whole well of emotions wash over her, she rubbed her tummy and tried not to cry

Videl held her new heart over her hospital gown and stitches to prevent it from leaping right out of her chest, just as she felt herself lose control.

The alarm went crazy as the heart monitor released a loud and shrill sound.

_That's chapter 7_

_I hope you had fun reading this chapter. I tried to give you as thorough a history as possible, so you could understand where they are both coming from prior to this point. I hope I pulled it off._

_Okay, let me know how it went down _

Noryale: hah hah hah, oh man, thanx for that. And here I was thinking I was going for a serious and dramatic moment! Lol

MrBlue22: hah hah hah, you guys are so hard on poor gohan, everyone thinks he has no balls, hah hah hah

MRM: it's the perfect match, lol, the fates haven't been very kind to him in this fic huh? lol

SierraLarson: he WILL

Siobhan: lol, damn straight! Like Vegeta said 'no follow through' lol

PAS-15: took a while, but here you go, I hope you enjoyed reading it

Marie Fortune: and there you go, pulling me out of the dumps with your lovely review. Thank you so much, I hope you continue to enjoy the story

Alex Graham: hah hah hah, he is kinda creepy isn't he? But aw, poor Gohan. This is definitely my least popular story, lol, all these other girls and guys in Gohan and Videl's lives seem to creep people out, lol, but I couldn't have them celibate for eight years now could I? lol,


	8. Chapter 8

Hey guys, wow, this took forever, I know, but here it is, an update

**Disclaimer:** The best I can do is stick figures, so, no, I couldn't possibly own anything as awesome as dbz, it's all akira and FuNi and Toei and those peeps

Thank you to my beta **DevilsDocry** for graciously taking on this project.** Thank you for putting up with me Gue, even after all the old jokes.**

And a special thank-you to **MindyK** for giving me reasons to get back to this story.

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><p>Chapter 8<p>

"I want that AMULET!" the director of TB roared, grabbing his desk by the edge and toppling it over. He was sick and tired of hearing excuses. With Tuku hiding in his home country, his chances of finding the damn thing seemed to be dwindling.

Didn't anyone understand the pain he was in? Didn't they understand what it was to be a shadow of yourself? This arthritis had reduced him into a weak, useless paper-pusher, and he was sick of it.

"We have searched each crevice of her penthouse sir, there's no sign of it" the agent reported.

"FIND IT! FIND IT! STOP BRINGING ME EXCUSES!" he grabbed on to the wall to support himself, too proud to reach for his walking stick.

"But sir..."

"It's called stepping outside the box agent, try whatever you have to try, just bring me the damn thing!" his knees throbbed, forcing him back down to his chair.

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><p>"Give me one milligram of vasopressin!" Dr Octave yelled at the nurse, his own heart about to stop at the inactivity of the patients monitor. That incessant flat beep was making him sweat; even though he was a trained professional and completely used to these kinds of scenarios.<p>

She was Videl Satan.

He watched the syringe of vasopressin empty into the patient and practically willed the new heart to react. He could hear the pregnant blonde sobbing hysterically in the background, the blonde lawyer cursing in horror, and he could very well feel more than hear Dr Son's panic. Unfortunately he didn't even have time to engage him in a screaming match, for that is exactly what he knew would happen if he tried to kick him and the rest of the 'friends'out.

When this was all over, he would never take a case in this Institute again.

"Increase it to….beep" tiny little v's began to flutter about on the screen, indicating that the drug had done its job; the heart was experiencing some promising fibrillation.

He moved expertly, and grabbed the pads of the defibrillator, placing them expertly over the patient's chest.

"Clear!" he yelled, the current making Videl's chest jerk momentarily from two hundred volts of electric shock.

"Increase it to two-fifty!" He yelled over the loud beeping.

"CLEAR!" He pressed again, no change. The slight fibrillation from the vasopressin had already disappeared. They were back to square one.

'Fuck' he sweated some more, if Videl Satan died in his care, his career was toast 'come on Videl, don't ruin my life'

"Increase it to..." He didn't get to finish his sentence, because he was tossed aside from the patient by the battered Dr Son, who shocked the underpants out of the med team, the crying pregnant blonde and the swearing young lawyer, by releasing a golden ball of light from his hand and slamming it into the patient, causing her tiny body to jerk violently, and the line on the screen to make rapid vertical ziz-zags, giving the occupants of the room false hope, before it flat-lined one final time.

The shrill sound rang in their ears as they stood staring, their hearts in their throats. None of them moved, none of them dared to breathe.

Dr Octave couldn't even express shock at what Dr Son had just done with his bare hands, his life's work, his prestigious career, it had just ended, it was all over.

Videl Satan was dead.

"C-Call it" a nurse moved to place a sheet over the still body.

His throat raw, his voice raspy Dr Octave began to pull off his gloves as he spoke "Time of death…"

"DON'T!" Gohan grabbed the doctor by the throat, preventing him from talking. His eyes were wild and hollow and red, he was more beast than man at this stage, and Dr Octave could do nothing but quiver in his grip.

"D-Dr S-Son we have to…" the nurse on call stammered.

"You will do nothing. Nothing at all. She's not dead. Her body temperature hasn't even dropped yet. I will try one more procedure. Now. Get. Out" he snarled, shoving the cardiothoracic surgeon to the wall.

Sharpener was in-between despair and shock. Videl was dead and he couldn't handle it. He wanted to throw himself at her body and beg her to wake up, he wanted to bury his face in Erasa's arms and sob, he wanted to go home to his mother and beg her to make the pain less, but at the same time, what Gohan had just done with his hands - that shooting light, what he was still able to accomplish, dangling the surgeon in the air with ease, despite the fact that he was more broken that whole, was just…

Erasa remained on the chair with her tears flowing freely down her cheeks, one hand on her stomach, and the other covering her mouth. It all happened so quickly, so suddenly. One minute she was talking and moving and now...she looked away from her face. It still bore the look of surprise from Gohan's declaration and she briefly wondered if his words were too much for a new heart to handle.

At this stage she was only prepared to listen to Gohan, he was the only one saying what she needed to hear. That Videl Satan, her best-friend, her hero and her inspiration was alive, even though she could see it with her own eyes that the truth was otherwise.

"GET OUT NOW!" Gohan roared through his bruised and broken face. With his wild hair and crazed eyes, his look was right there alongside the definition of deranged.

Dr Octave and his team hesitated until the ground beneath them began to shake, rattling every little thing in sight, as what could only be described as a white wind began to twirl and circle around the enraged Dr Son. Sparks began to fly from the equipment as some items fell, and if they were not all seeing it with their own eyes they would never have believed the tale of the growling doctor. He sounded worse than a wild animal and they were terrified for their safety. The patient was already dead; there was nothing they could do. So with self preservation kicking in, they turned tail and ran.

Gohan ignored the remaining occupants of the room and lifted Videl's body from the bed, cradling her gently in his arms, as he began to levitate into the air, paying no heed to the shell shocked expressions on Sharpener and Erasa's faces.

"Sleep Videl." He murmured affectionately "I'll see you when you wake up" he whispered, kissing her still frame gently on the forehead, right before kicking down the window, shattering the shatterproof glass, dislocating the burglar bars, and shooting out the window and into the sky.

"Oh Fuck. Oh Fuck. Oh my fuck'n…fuck" Sharpener ran his hands through his hair as he began to pace, trying, but failing to process _everything_ that had just happened.

* * *

><p>Videl stared at the fluff of cloud that was her lower body and began to tremble as the truth of her whereabouts began to choke her.<p>

She had already done this before, and it was something she had hoped she wouldn't have to do again for a very, very long time.

"You're up next, hurry along please" a polite voice rang out. Videl glanced at the speaker and was powerless to stop the first tear that cascaded down her face. She remembered this particular blue one-horned species from her first death. In fact, if she wasn't mistaken, it was the same well-dressed, well-mannered ogre who had escorted herself, Chichi and Bulma before King Yemma when they had all died together at the hands of Majin Buu.

"This way please," the ogre grabbed her by the arm, as gently as possible, and Videl marvelled at the miracle of her floating body as it gravitated towards the check-in station, despite the fact that she wasn't controlling it.

King Yemma looked just as large and just as impressive as the last time in his blue striped suit. And without Chichi here to threaten him, and tell him off, Videl really felt the monumental difference in their sizes.

"Ms Satan, it does not please me to see you back here so soon," King Yemma looked down on her.

"King Yemma, please, I…there has to be some kind of mistake, I'm not dead, I have a new heart," she pleaded shakily, a painful lump in her throat making it almost impossible to breathe.

"You wouldn't be here if you weren't, I'm sorry Videl," his voice was gentle, yet firm. "You may proceed to heaven" he declared, without even looking through her record.

"No. I don't want to go to heaven. I want to go back. I want to live! I want to LIVE!" her voice began to rise hysterically

"Make sure she gets on the plane, and secure her properly please." King Yemma addressed one of his helpers, shaking his head. "NEXT!" he banged down on his desk and prepared to pass judgment on to the next soul entering the check-in station.

"NO! I'm not ready yet. Don't you know how important this moment is? I'm not ready. He said he loves me and I…I want to go back, I want Gohan, I…let me GO!" she began to pummel the ogres as they dragged her away, literally kicking and screaming.

King Yemma shook his head at the sight.

What was it with mortals? Heaven was the ultimate paradise, she should be grateful to have retained half of her body, grateful to be going to heaven, but instead, she was resisting it like a condemned soul, fighting to stay out of hell.

* * *

><p>"Porunga! Hlaha o mamele likopo tsa rona!" Moori yelled to the heavens with his arms outstretched.<p>

Gathered were the Namekians, Goku and Gohan with a very still and now cold, Videl Satan in his arms. They stared at the giant orange spheres as they began to take on a golden glow, just before said glow shot out like a gust from a broken pipe and began to rise and twirl and expand in shimmering golden energy, brewing darkness in the always bright Namekian skies; as they brought forth tremors and gusts of wind in their path.

Everybody shielded their eyes and stepped back as the energy began to take on the form of the majestic Porunga.

"You have collected all seven dragonballs. Choose your words wisely and I will grant you any three wishes as it is written" his voice boomed loud and strong, everything you would expect from a creature of such grandeur.

"Can you ask him to bring Videl Satan back to life please," Goku addressed the elder Moori, his eyes bleak at the sight of his son's distress.

"Kopo ea pele. Tsosa Videl Satan bafung!" Moori yelled, his neck cranked up to the sky where Porunga hovered with his muscular and green splendor.

With a flash of red, his eyes sealed the deal.

"It is done. Now name your second wish!"

Videl swung her fist at the ogre trying to restrain her and winced when it connected with something hard – Gohan's face.

"Ow!" she yelped, shocked to see the very face she was tearing heaven apart to see, softly staring down at her with one good eye. She blinked and widened her eyes when they settled on the hovering dragon in the dark sky. This one gave her the chills even more so than Shenron ever did.

"Welcome back," Gohan smiled weakly, his features softening immeasurably, his body pulsing with tremors of pain from every which direction. Now that he was no longer functioning on autopilot, now that his adrenaline levels were levelling, the brunt of his injuries began to take their toll.

"Oh Gohan" a sea of emotion washed over her, as she buried herself into him, pressing herself as much as she could against his chest, aggravating his fractures, which in turn sent stabs of shooting pains all over his body, a pain he welcomed more than the air he breathed, just to have her so close to him, her previous stillness now pulsing with warm, mobile life.

"Your second wish?" Porunga's voice began to take on a tint of irritation, when nobody spoke up.

"Gohan," Videl pulled away from his chest after burying herself there for a few minutes. Now that she was certain that he was real, that the dragon was real, and that she was alive once more, she didn't want to waste another second.

"What you said to Sharpener in the hospital…?" she had to be sure; she just had to be sure of what she'd heard.

"I meant it Videl," His words came out without hesitation, his voice raw and gruff, untamed like the flap of his wild hair in the Namekian breeze, with his eye squinting down at her. "The case against me is solid. Each allegation against me is true. I could care less what the world leader had to say. I did what I did because I'm hopelessly in love with you. Always have been," he admitted without reserve, making her heart ache and soar all in one flutter as the spectators tried to contain their shy smiles, if not cast their eyes down to their feet.

She dared not waste another second, lest she die again before she ever knew what it would be like.

She kissed him.

Gohan failed to breathe when her lips gave him no warning. He parted his on instinct and groaned out in pain and pleasure when she sucked on his split lip, it hurt to move his mouth this way, with his broken jaw throbbing. He eased his own tongue in and ran it leisurely inside her mouth, a hot tension building in his stomach. He tightened his hold on her and allowed her to explore him, her mouth hot and urgent and demanding. The cuts inside his mouth opened and bled, the copper taste of blood mingling with their combined saliva as they lost themselves further and further into the painful bliss of their kiss.

"STATE YOUR SECOND WISH!" Porunga lost his patience, and Gohan found himself smiling against Videl's mouth. How could he possibly have a second wish when everything he ever wanted was held securely in his arms, moving and breathing?

"Err…I think that's it Porunga," Goku stated with a big grin, his index finger scratching into his scalp.

"Very well, I bid you farewell." Porunga declared as he began to turn into a swirl of energy

"Wait!" Videl yelled a little too late, because the dragonballs had already shot out in random directions.

"You big LUNE!" Videl yelled at the Son holding her in his arms, "You could have asked him to heal you!"

"Oh yeah!" Goku grinned even louder "Oops…heh he heh…"

"Gohan, you can put me down now, in your condition, I should be carrying you," Videl pointed out

"Videl," he pressed his forehead against hers "You're right. Vegeta didn't pull his punches, everything…hurts," he took a sharp intake of breath, his face contorting in pain.

"Are you guys ready to go?" Goku asked cheerfully.

"Yes" Videl nodded.

"No" Gohan shook his head.

"Err…right. Okay then. Come Moori, let's give these two a few minutes alone," He clamped on the elder Namekian's shoulder as he began to guide him away from the duo "I've actually been meaning to ask how you guys do that technique with the clothes and stuff ?, you know my wife always gets annoyed _after_ when I get all heated up and just kinda rip off her clothes and stuff, especially the purple outfits, those are really difficult to get off, and when the moment is right, you just don't wanna bother with buttons and zips and all that other stuff so, if I can just point my finger and materialize a new one, it would save my ears a LOT!" he ran his mouth as he disappeared with a mortified Moori.

"I guess your dad hasn't changed much," Videl shook her head, grinning.

Gohan chuckled and adjusted her weight in his arms. "Dad will never change, I wish, I could have taken after him more, both of my parents actually, like Goten has," He finished that sentence with a groan, his body protesting against the weight he was carrying.

"I'm jumping down," Videl declared, only to feel him tightening his hold on her "Gohan..."

"Do you love him?" he cut her off.

"Moss?" her voice softened as she looked away from his searching eyes.

"Yes, Moss," he tried to say the name without any of the resentment he felt, and failed.

"I..." she faltered, a pang of guilt springing up on her. Moss had just proposed, and here she was kissing another man. "Just this morning, I was thinking about marrying him".

"He p-proposed?" his voice weakened.

"Last night, it wasn't planned," she told him truthfully.

"I hope you say no," he spoke from his heart "I know he loves you, I read it in his ki and saw it in his eyes, but I have to be selfish here and ask you to break _his_ heart instead of mine," His words caught in his throat as the possibility of Videl marrying Moss began to torment him.

"Stay here with me. On Namek. Stay here and give me a chance to resuscitate the feelings you once had for me, please Videl, I know you had feelings for me once, just…give me a chance. I know I can make you happy."

Catching him by surprise for the second time, she kissed him again, harder, and with more fervor, until he started to bleed into her again, making him wince and reluctantly pull back.

"King Yemma just sent me to heaven Gohan," she sucked on her lower lip, nipping it slightly with her teeth "…he sent me to heaven and all I wanted was to come back to you. I don't need time," she placed her palm against his face "I've had eight years to mull it over…I don't need time," she couldn't stop herself from kissing him again, it was either that or cry, and she definitely didn't want to cry. She pressed her tiny body against his injured one with more fervor than she ever thought she was capable off, marveling at the tingling sensations running down her body, making her tighten her hold, in turn, making him cry out in pain for the pleasure of finally having her in his arms.

* * *

><p>Sharpener fell out of the moving van and hit the pavement. He looked no better than Gohan had that morning, battered and bruised, the men that had taken him and Erasa had really done a number on him. He struggled to rise to his feet, but there was really no choice, he coughed and spit, placing his hands on certain parts of his injuries, but he dragged himself forward, just as he'd witnessed Gohan soldiering on earlier that day, coming to work, facing legal proceedings with his own abominable injuries.<p>

Unsteadily he began to run, determined and desperate.

Earlier that day, after the shocking events at the Institute, he had gathered Erasa up the pregnant Erasa and escorted her out. They had huddled together, going to great pains to dodge all the reporters that had tried to make him or her give a comment about the allegations flying around - that Videl Satan had died.

He had called his usual transport service for a discreet pick-up, and then…and then the nightmare had really begun.

"_Sharpener help ME!"_ he turned a corner, letting his fingers linger slightly for support against the wall, as he tried to quell down the bile rising in his throat at the memory of how the men had held down Erasa, beating her with their fists as they did the same to him, and eventually…

"_Nooo! Sharpener! Sharpener HELP ME!_" they had gone as far as cutting her stomach open.

The blood was everywhere as her body trembled uncontrollably by the shock of the pain, as the knife penetrated through three layers of tissue, no sterilization, no anesthesia…nothing at all, but blinding terror.

"_Tell Videl the terms of the trade are simple, have her hand over the Serame Amulet and we'll stitch up her friend here, and keep this baby nice and snug in the incubator"_

Sharpener burst into the first café he found and begged for a phone.

Videl was dead.

Erasa was lying open on a dirty table, in what appeared to be an abandoned garage, only god knew where.

He had no choice, only one man's influence could spread fast enough.

Only one man was strong enough to take on these obviously well trained mercenaries.

It was time to call the champ.

* * *

><p><em>That's the chapter you guys, not my longest, but ah well…<em>

**MrBlue22**: Yep, he definitely listened to Vegeta! I hope you found some enjoyment in this late chapter

**Chimney leaf**: definitely blunt, lol

**MRM**: bad time is an understatement, lol, I hope you liked this chapter, took me eons to get it out

**Hmrtaylor**: legal issues are the absolute worst! But as you can see Gohan doesn't really give a rat's ass! Lol, hope you like this chapter

**UltimateGohan42**: a bit late, but there you go!

**Son Goshen**: they sure do, but now it looks like they just might be? Let's see what happens!

**Siobhan**: that's the thing with obsession, the other person is on your mind even when you would rather they were not. Does she think about him like that? Hah hah hah, I'll bet she does! We'll just see as the story concludes

**Mariefortune**: I think my biggest criticism for my stories in this site is that they are too dramatic, lol, I'm always trying to tone the drama done in my writing, but I'm always glad when someone at least enjoys it. thank you for your review and I sincerely hope that you enjoyed this chapter as well

**SierraLarson**: Flatlined, yep! But all is good now, yay!

**Girl with the dragon tattoo:** thank you so much for your review, glad you have been able to enjoy the story up until now

**MindyKinamoto**: I must have read over your reviews a hundred times, they really helped me shape and make decisions regarding this chapter. Thank you so much, for all of them. You are truly amazing. I feel like you see Gohan exactly as I was trying to present him in this story and that just blows my mind. And your interpretation is absolutely spot on, he does love her that much, and she does continue to stun her at every turn. You've made me love this story, when I was seriously starting to have my doubts about it. Thank you so much.

**Gamarabi**: I want you to know that I'm going to try to update all of my stories as fast as possible, but I cannot promise once a week as I am still in Spain on vacation, which is the main reason I have hardly written, for all of my stories. Once I leave though, and get back to normal, then I can definitely provide weekly updates for everything. Thank you for still being out there, for still reading, and for continuing to inspire me. GokuxChichi are my favourite couple, so if you did venture out and read one of those stories I wrote for them, I would be super excited, and super excited to hear your thoughts as well. Thank you so much for all of your feedback, for all of my stories.

**YukiraKing**: An update, I know, so, so overdue! I await your thoughts on this chapter with baited breath.

**Gohansgirl**: HEY! I think I just read a story of yours this morning ! I'm even more excited now to get this review from you, I'm sure I expressed in my review how much I'm enjoying it.

**Nsuppala**: you asked so nicely, I just had to get on with finishing and posting this chapter, thank you so much for giving me that last nudge. I hope you've had fun reading this one as well. Please let me know your thoughts.

**Note from Devil, Hi everyone and thank you Gue for letting me work on this and displaced, it was nice to get away from writing and back into reading for a change.**


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